Shatter
by EiseiNoMuzai
Summary: Discontinued.
1. Chapter 1: Chance

((So, just to tell you a bit more about the story before you start it… This is the first fanfiction I've posted on this site, and it's been a while since I've written very much, so I'm a little rusty. Shatter will follow the plotline of the actual anime, just with my random OCs thrown in for fun. Not very original, I know, but there you have it. It will probably be very, very _long_. I'd love to include a picture at the top of each chapter, but I guess I can't do that. Oh, well. In any case, please let me know what you think!

Note: I don't own Pandora Hearts or any of its characters. So, please don't sue me~?))

Shatter

A Pandora Hearts Fanfiction

Chapter One: **C**hance

The cobblestone street was mercifully deserted, and at any other time she would have paused for a moment to admire the soft, silvery moonlight that glowed on every surface, lending the entire town of Nosambria a nostalgic and dreamlike atmosphere.

But now was not "any other time", and instead she hurtled down the street like a frightened rabbit, her dark chocolate hair streaming behind her as her feet thudded irregularly on the cobblestones, her ragged panting and racing heart the only other sounds she could hear clearly. If she concentrated, however, she could just make out the sound of another pair of feet hitting the stone quite a way behind her; the measured, sharp, businesslike _tap-tap-tapp_ing… So different now from all the times when-

_Don't- think about that now! You might stop running, and then what? _She clenched her teeth and focused on moving as quickly as possible. _If he does- catch me… Would he really-?_

_BANG_.

Her silent question was answered harshly as a bit of the wall of a small shack a little way ahead of her suddenly exploded outwards in splinters, falling to the ground followed by a small bullet. Her sea-green eyes widened, the pupils small and trembling. A desperate sob welled up in her throat, but she quickly shoved it back down. _I can't break down yet. I can't- I can't let him catch me… _

_ … But do I really deserve to live, after all?_

She ran on, teetering on the edge of panic. Over the sounds of her footsteps and heartbeat, she was beginning to hear the muted, vague roar of a crowd. _Good! Maybe I can lose him there! _He was already far behind her, for even though he'd been trained, she was quick and agile. She'd always been faster than him, much to his chagrin-

She skidded around the corner of an intersection and relief flooded her. People! There were people on this street, and though the crowd was relatively thin, surely he wouldn't risk shooting at her with so many witnesses!

_… Would he? _He'd always been so dedicated, stopping at nothing to do his job… And she had a terrible feeling that he now held a special grudge against her… How far would he go?

Her relief fled before this thought, and she sprinted on down the street without a pause, drawing odd looks from some of the more fancily dressed passerby. After a few moments she risked a glance over her shoulder. She noted that he must be farther behind than she'd thought- he hadn't rounded the corner yet, though she didn't know how close he was. She turned her attention forward again. _If I can just make it to that side road up there before he rounds that corner, maybe I can lose him-_

Most of the passerby strolled along the edges of the road, but there was one small group that walked right down the middle, and they were between her and her chosen escape route. She veered slightly to one side before she got anywhere near them, keeping an eye on them to make sure they didn't inadvertently walk right in front of her; the last thing she needed right now was a collision-

Right there in the middle of the street, mid-run, Grace Sorelle froze up and stumbled to a halt, a halt that she could not afford. Her wide eyes were locked on that group of people. A tall man, dark-haired, dark-clad and ominous. A young boy with bright golden hair, emerald eyes gazing broodingly at the ground. And…

A girl. A girl with dark, brown-tinted hair that reached almost to the cobblestones, dressed in a strange long coat and short skirt, with vivid violet eyes that looked fierce and bold in a strangely lonely way.

Around her hovered a faint lavender aura, an aura that Grace had seen only a few times, an aura that she'd come to associate with fear and death and destruction.

_Chain._

She stood there for a moment and just stared, eyes wide, stunned and incredulous. The few chains that she'd encountered had never looked so human, had never appeared so casual with other people as this chain seemed to be with her two companions as they all walked together down the street, the tall man seemingly bickering with the chain girl. And although this chain had that familiar look in her eyes, like an animal in the wild…

For some reason, she didn't have that malicious look that Grace had observed in the other chains she'd seen.

The sound of another pair of running footsteps far behind her jolted Grace out of her brief trance, and she bolted once again down the road. Towards the chain and her travelling companions.

The dark-haired man and the chain were still engrossed in their argument, but the blond boy was already looking at her, his emerald eyes puzzled and vaguely concerned in the common expression of someone witnessing a girl as she sprints through a crowd for an unknown reason. As she neared them, feeling the desperation of her expression, hearing her own ragged panting and thudding heart, the concern on the boy's face grew, along with a tinge of alarm. When she was less than ten feet away, he spoke. "Hey," he called, "are you okay? What're you running from?" As he spoke, the girl and the tall man paused in their argument to look her way as well.

It was then that she came to a snap decision, one that she knew she might wind up regretting. She skidded to a stop right in front of them, gasping for breath, and locked her eyes onto the boy's, then onto the dark-haired man's, feeling the urgency in her expression, putting even more into her voice.

"You should- get out of here, quickly. If- he finds out…" She turned her gaze on the chain, the girl with the long dark hair. "If he finds out- what you are- he'll come after you, too." She saw the girl's violet eyes widen slightly with surprise, but of course there was no fear in the expression.

The boy, on the other hand, looked shocked and slightly frightened. "What…? How do-"

The footsteps were so close now, so close, and she couldn't waste any more time if she truly wanted to live. "I'm sorry," she gasped out, and then broke into a run again, dodging around them.

After a moment, she noticed something alarming. The other person's footsteps had stopped. Grace skidded to a stop and whirled around.

And there he was. A young man, several inches taller than she was, with bright ginger hair in a very short ponytail and brown eyes. Dressed in a black-and-white jacket and trench coat, with a silver pistol held at his side in one white-gloved hand.

And he'd stopped a few feet away from the chain and her fellow travelers. Grace looked on in horror as he eyed them all with sudden suspicion. _No, no, they didn't do anything, don't go after them! _She didn't know why she felt that these were not bad people, but her friends had always deemed her an excellent judge of character, and she could not ignore this strange instinct that had always proved so dependable. And so she did something else reckless and unwise.

"_Chris!_" She shouted, her voice cracking. His head snapped up to look at her, suspicion replaced by that heart-wrenching look that burned itself into her memory; pain, betrayal, and that awful, grim anger. Grace threw her hands out to either side, opening herself up as a target. "You're after me, not them," she cried fiercely, aware that her voice was trembling in a very un-heroic way. "Remember?"

She was rewarded by the sight of him raising his pistol and aiming it straight and true at her heart. Terror flooded her, and she threw herself down to one side an instant before the _BANG_ pierced the air. She scrambled quickly back to her feet and took off again.

And the footsteps started again behind her, but then there were _two_ pairs of footsteps behind her, and soon after that _both_ of them stopped. She slowed and looked over her shoulder.

There was that boy, standing there in the middle of the street with his arms spread to either side just as her own had been a moment before. He was directly in Chris's path, and she saw the gunman's fists clench. Behind him, the tall man's golden eyes were wide with alarm, and he barked out one word. "_Oz!_"

The boy, Oz, did not move. "You're not killing anyone today," he said with surprising calmness, his voice strong and firm, "if I have anything to say about it." Chris's eyes narrowed slightly, and the tall man quickly moved around him to stand by the blond boy's side, one hand going to his pocket as though he had a concealed weapon of his own. The chain girl followed to stand on the boy's other side, glaring at Chris skeptically. "Leave now," Oz continued grimly, "before we report you to the police."

A shadow fell over Chris's eyes as he looked down, teeth clenched. Grace could see the tendons straining in his hand as he held his gun in a tight grip. Slowly, he looked up, over the shoulders of the group barring his way, and his eyes locked on Grace's. They were grim and cold, and sent a chilling message that he didn't need to put a voice to. _'No matter where you run, I will find you.' _

Then, abruptly, he turned around and strode away, stuffing his gun unceremoniously under his coat as he did so.

Neither Grace nor the three people in front of her moved until Chris was out of sight. Then, slowly, she sank to her knees on the cobblestones, trembling violently.

Immediately, the man with the dark hair turned on Oz. "What were you _thinking?_" he snapped gruffly, looking genuinely upset. "Do you realize how _easy_ it would've been for him to-?"

"It's okay, Raven. I'm fine." Oz turned around to look at Grace where she knelt in the road, shivering. Most of the crowd was gone; probably due to the gun-wielding man they'd seen shooting at an innocent bystander. _That was… So close. He was really going to kill me. _She'd avoided a breakdown thus far by sheer necessity; she couldn't afford to waste her breath sobbing when death was hard on her heels. But for now at least, he was gone, and Grace felt the hot tears beginning to leak from her eyes. _How did things go so wrong…?_

"Are you okay?" Oz walked closer and stopped a few feet away, looking down at her with concern. "He's gone now-"

The chain girl pushed past him- with enough force to make him stumble- to stand right in front of Grace, her hands on her hips and her expression grim. "How did you know that I'm a chain?" she demanded bluntly.

Oz blinked. "Alice-" he started.

"Oh, shut up. She knew already. She said so herself." Alice continued to glare down at her with those relentless violet eyes. "Well?" she pushed flatly. Both Oz and Raven looked at Grace as well.

Grace was silent for a long moment. "I-I…" She swallowed and let her gaze drop to the ground. She couldn't look at them, not with the terrible weight of what her next words implied. Even though one of them must carry a similar burden. It did nothing to lessen her shame.

"I… It's one of the powers of-..." She swallowed again, and her next words escaped in a whisper. "Of my chain."

Silence. She didn't dare look up to see their reactions. "My chain," she continued very quietly, just to break the hush that had fallen over them, "can sense the presence of other chains… And- well, she has another power, too, but…" she risked a glance at the three people's faces.

What she saw there hurt to look at. Oz's eyes were wide with shock. Raven's face was a combination of surprise and frustration, his expression showing his thoughts quite plainly: _Damn. We're not out of danger yet._ Alice's expression was surprised and wary. After a moment, Oz spoke. His voice was almost as quiet as Grace's had been. "You're… a contractor?"

She flinched slightly at the word. "Y-… yes…"

Slowly, the man called Raven stepped forward to stand in front of Oz and Alice. His golden eyes narrowed as he looked down at Grace. "I should've guessed as much," he muttered. "That man chasing her was dressed in the official uniform of Pandora."

Oz quickly looked up at him. "Well," he said, having recovered from the shock, "she doesn't seem _dangerous_." Raven turned a look of blank disbelief on Oz, who frowned stubbornly. "She just went out of her way to warn us about that Pandora guy," he pointed out. "She didn't have to do that. And then she almost took a bullet trying to get him away from us!" He looked back at Grace and smiled. _How can he be so collected after all that? _she wondered. "Thanks for that," Oz said brightly, and, in spite of a sound of protest from Raven, held out one hand to her.

She just looked at it for a moment, still kneeling on the ground. Then she carefully reached out and took it. Oz shook her hand before helping her up. "My name is Oz Bezarius," he said, gaining another sharp glance from Raven. "And these are my friends, Raven-" he gestured at Raven, who looked surprised to be called a friend, "- and Alice."

Alice looked even more surprised than Raven did, but her expression quickly changed to a grudging scowl. "Huh. Don't get so arrogant, manservant," she grumbled, but Grace thought that under the mask of annoyance the chain seemed almost pleased. Confused, but pleased.

Oz grinned at Alice before looking back to Grace. "So what's your name?" he asked.

Grace blinked uncertainly, looking from one face to another. After a moment, she replied hesitantly. "I'm Grace… Grace Sorelle."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Grace." Oz cast pointed glances to his right and left, where Raven and Alice stood. "Right, guys?" They both looked at him flatly for a moment.

"… Hmph." Raven folded his arms across his chest and looked at Grace grudgingly. "Yeah, I guess… Nice to meet you." _But if you wind up turning on us, you're as good as dead_, said his expression. He clearly didn't approve of how trusting Oz seemed to be, Grace noted.

Alice just looked at her as though sizing up an opponent. Oz elbowed her in the ribs, and she promptly backhanded him right in the face. _THWACK_. _THUD_. The blond boy lay sprawled on the ground. Alice turned away, crossing her own arms. "Psh. Whatever."

A vein throbbed on Raven's head. "Oi, you can't just knock him out like that, stupid rabbit!"

"He's my manservant! I can do whatever I want with him! So shut it, Seaweed-Head!"

And so another round of bickering ensued. Grace sweatdropped. Oz sat up, rubbing his face. "Nnh…" He climbed to his feet. "Anyway…" He smiled good-humoredly at Grace. "Since you can't really stay here, you can come with us. You're probably going to have to tell your whole story, though, since Bre-"

Alice and Raven immediately broke off from their arguing. "WHAAAT?" they both half-shouted in unison.

"Oz, you can't be serious. This girl is an illegal contractor! We can't just go around taking in strays as if-"

"Are you forgetting that our goal is to find my memories? I don't want this stupid kid getting in my way while-!"

"-Do you remember Break's reaction to learning that _you_ were an illegal contractor? You know you can't just-!"

"Uh, I- Really, that's okay, you don't have to-" Grace broke in desperately in an attempt to diffuse the situation.

"Look…" Everyone stopped and looked at Oz obediently. He frowned at them all before looking at Grace. "If we leave you here, that guy will find you. And we saw what he would do if he caught you, didn't we?" He looked at Raven. "She'd be better off taking her chances with Break throwing her in prison than she would if she stayed here and waited for that guy to come after her with a gun again. And anyway, it's not like she's evil, or anything, so maybe we can convince him to make an exception! He did with us, didn't he?"

Raven frowned. "But, Oz, he needed you for his own purp-"

But Oz had already turned to Alice. "And Alice, she has her own chain. After we've explained everything to her, if she wants to, maybe she can help us."

Alice scowled. "I don't need any more h-"

Oz turned back to Grace and nodded matter-of-factly as if it was already decided. "So don't worry about it," he said brightly, ignoring his friends' annoyed looks. "You can come with us. It'll work out."

Grace blinked. "I… Um… Well…" She looked down. "… All right," she said at last. "All right... Thank you."

Oz grinned. "Well, that's settled!" He looked up at Raven, who looked less than pleased. "So anyway, where was the carriage, again?"


	2. Chapter 2: Regret

((Something I forgot to mention: I know that Oz's last name is actually supposed to be Vessalius, and Reim is actually named Liam… But I'm so used to the names they use in the English-subbed episodes that I can't quite bring myself to change them. So… *Cough*

Anyway! Without further ado, I give you… Chapter 2!))

Shatter

A Pandora Hearts Fanfiction

Chapter Two: **R**egret

The carriage ride was long and awkward. Grace sat across from Alice, who stared moodily out the window, and next to Raven, who occasionally broke off from staring moodily out the window so he could cast uneasy glances at her. For the first few minutes even Oz was silent and brooding, twirling a small flower stem in his fingers, a single pink petal clinging to its tip. Grace said nothing and traced the edges of her steel sais as she tried to keep her thoughts from turning down dark and painful roads. Instead she mulled over the things she'd heard from these people, her new allies.

_Alice said that their goal was to find her memories… What could she have meant by that?_ She cast a glance at the chain in question, who was too intent on staring out the window with a determined expression to notice. Grace sighed and looked down again. _And why does Alice seem so much more… __**benign**__ than the other chains I've seen? _True, the chain girl acted haughty and aggressive, but the few other chains Grace had had the misfortune of meeting would have _eaten_ a person sooner than they would have talked to one. Why was Alice so different?

_I can wonder about that later; there are a few more worrying things to think about. Like where exactly it is that we're going… _She took her own turn staring grimly out the carriage windows. She could go with them, Oz had said, but… She would have to tell them her story. The _whole_ story. Her shoulders hunched as though against a chill breeze, and she rested the side of her face against the cool glass of the window. She'd been trying so hard not to think about the things that had happened to her, to her family and friends, and to everyone around her. But now she would have to explain herself in excruciating detail. To _all_ of them, plus this "Break" person that they'd kept mentioning. _That's another thing… They said that this guy might throw me in prison. _She stared blankly at the moonlit trees and fields as they rolled slowly past her window. _Surely they mean that he might want to report me to Pandora, or to the police, if he doesn't know about Pandora… Or maybe __**he's**__ a policeman, or… _She blinked. No, of course he couldn't be from Pandora himself, or he wouldn't be working with an illegal contractor. She glanced at Oz before looking back out the window. Either way, it would be better to be stuck in jail than dead… _Better for everyone. I couldn't wind up getting people killed if I was in prison. _

After a minute, Oz looked away from the window and offered a faint smile. "Hey, Grace."

She looked up and blinked. "Yes?"

"I guess we should warn you about our other fr-"

"If you're planning on calling that damn clown our '_friend_,'" Alice interrupted irritably, "then speak for yourself." She glared out the window.

Oz sweatdropped. "Uh, then, we should warn you about our… ally." Alice snorted, but did not interrupt again. Oz smiled tolerantly, rubbing the back of his head, and went on. "He's a little…"

"Psychotic," Alice offered.

"Um… Let's try for 'eccentric,'" Oz suggested. "Anyway, he can be kind of intimidating at first, but he's really not that bad-"

"Yes, he is," Alice muttered.

Grace was not very reassured by all of this.

Oz sighed. "But, just make sure you don't leave anything out when you tell us your situation, because that's going to be all that stands between you and captivity. Okay?"

_No pressure or anything_. Grace glanced at him warily. "What're my chances of _not_ being arrested?" she inquired after a moment.

Oz twiddled his thumbs. "Well-"

"Not good," Alice told her bluntly, eyeing her with her arms crossed, a flat expression on her face.

Oz winced but didn't argue. Grace sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Okay... Thanks for being honest."

"Look, don't worry about it too much. We'll do our best to convince him to make an exception," Oz told her. Alice looked at him sideways with an irritated expression as if to say '_we?_' From next to Grace, Raven did just about the same thing. Oz ignored them both. "And Sharon-chan will probably help, too!" he added cheerfully. "Out of all of us, she's the one who's closest to Break, and she's very understanding! If anyone can help convince him not to jail you, it's Sharon!" He seemed to be in much higher spirits all of a sudden. … And Alice was looking much more irritable all of a sudden. The chain slouched in her seat, arms tightly folded, and scowled sullenly at Oz from the corners of her eyes.

_Oh, geez. Please tell me I haven't stumbled upon a love triangle_. Grace wisely kept her mouth shut. She was about to ask an entirely unrelated question when the carriage shuddered to a halt. Raven stood first, looking like he couldn't get out of there soon enough. "We're here," he said tersely, and opened the door.

They all piled out of the carriage, and Grace stared at the sight before her with her mouth hanging slightly open. The four of them stood just outside the gates of a huge mansion. The faint moonlight glinted off its many windows and outlined the whole building in silver as Oz, Alice, and Raven casually walked through the gates and headed down the path towards the huge double doors. After a moment, Grace shook herself and hurried after them.

Oz grinned at her over his shoulder as she caught up. "This is one of the Reinsworth estates," he informed her. "And it's basically our headquarters!"

Grace blinked. "One of the _Reinsworth_ estates?" No wonder the mansion was so impressive; the Reinsworth family was another of the four famous dukes' houses. So this boy was of the Bezarius house, and their 'headquarters' was one of the Reinsworth family mansions… She made a mental note not to mention that she herself was just a commoner.

Oz nodded. "Yeah." He reached out to take hold of the handle of one of the huge double doors. "So remember, when you meet Break and Sharon, make sure-"

_SLAM! _ The doors flew open and squished Oz like a bug against the wall of the building.

"Well, well, you all made it back safe and sound! Congratulations on your first successful mission, everyone!" In the doorway stood an exceptionally strange-looking man, his arms outstretched at his sides and angled upward so that his silhouette resembled a Y, a slim black cane in one hand. He wore a purple dress shirt and cravat under what resembled the bottom half of a white trench coat, as well as two separate white sleeves that were much too long and flopped messily over his hands. A small blue doll in a pink dress sat on his shoulder. The man's single visible eye was bright red; the other eye was well hidden under a shock of snowy hair. He had a huge, rather goofy grin on his face, and Grace somehow got the impression that it rarely came off.

One of Raven's eyebrows twitched. "You just _have_ to make a dramatic entrance, don't you, Break," he observed, sounding slightly irritated as he watched Oz slither out from behind the door looking thoroughly squashed.

Break placed his fists on his hips and smiled blithely at Raven. "Of course I do, silly," he agreed pleasantly, "what fun would it be if I didn't?"

Grace blinked. _This_ was the same 'Break' that everyone had implied was so awful? He didn't _look_ very threatening, but she still stiffened when his ghostly red eye came to rest on her. "Oh?" He eyed her curiously. "My, it looks like we have a guest!" He clapped his sleeve-swathed hands together in front of him and strolled over to her. Grace tried very hard not to back away as the strange man leaned over her until his face was almost at eye level, one finger poking out of his sleeve to rest on his chin as he considered her up close.

Grace watched nervously. _Uh… Oookay… So he's a bit odd._ She wished someone would distract him; there was something about the detached, clinically interested way he looked at his 'guest' that unnerved her.

Break suddenly leaned back, smiling widely. "Well, then! Where are my manners?" He performed a sweeping bow. "My name is Xerxes Break." He straightened and eyed her expectantly. "And to whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?"

Grace blinked at him, unsettled. "I, um- I'm Grace Sorelle… Nice to meet you…?" She couldn't keep the last sentence from scaling up a little at the end like a question.

Xerxes Break smiled that wide smile of his, seemingly oblivious to her uncertainty. "Likewise, of cou-!"

"Hey, hey, what about _me?_ You didn't introduce _me!_" Complained a scratchy, whiny voice that seemed to be coming from…

Grace jumped and backed up a step, staring wide-eyed at the doll on Break's shoulder. Break laughed, turning his head to glance at the doll. "Oh, how rude of me. I'm sorry!" He cheerfully looked back at Grace and gestured with one hand to the doll. "This is my little cohort, Emily."

"Pleased to meet you, kid!" the doll cried. That was when Grace noticed that Emily's voice sounded a lot like a higher, muted version of Break's… Grace sweatdropped.

_Uhhh… Right… So maybe he's more than just 'a bit' odd. _"Um… Nice to meet you, too," she said to the doll anyway, sounding quite lost.

Break turned away, heading back in through the double doors. "Well, what are you all standing around out there for? Come inside, everyone; Lady Sharon and I were just about to have tea, so you may as well join us."

"Will there be food?" Alice demanded, but Break had already disappeared through the doors. Raven rolled his eyes and followed him in, and Alice reluctantly trailed after them. Oz followed and then stopped in the doorway, glancing over his shoulder at Grace, who hadn't moved. "Well, come on. Let's go have some tea," he suggested.

Grace slowly headed through the doors, too. "He didn't even ask what I'm doing here," she muttered very quietly as she followed the others through the tastefully decorated hallway.

Oz shrugged, looking bemused. "I know. I didn't think he'd just let you in like that. I guess we got lucky this time." He smiled peaceably. "Good thing, too, ne?"

Grace nodded gratefully. "I'll say. Hey, thanks so much for this. Really. You guys saved my life for sure."

Oz grinned. "It was no big deal; don't worry about it."

The group walked on through the halls of the mansion and ascended a flight of stairs, and soon they came out into a large living room with sea-green walls and a lavender carpet. There was a circular table in the middle of the room, mantled in a white tablecloth and covered with teacups and desserts. At the table sat a young girl with coral-pink eyes and long, light brown hair pulled up in a neat ponytail. She was dressed in a long, elegant, Victorian-style pink dress. She looked up as they came in and offered a delicate smile. "Good evening, everyone. I'm glad you're all safe. Come sit down and have some tea." She sipped from her own teacup gingerly before she glanced at Grace, blinking. "Ah? Who's this?"

Break smiled and took a seat next to the girl, crossing his legs. He then proceeded to fork a large slice of chocolate cake and stuff the whole thing into his mouth. He chewed thoughtfully and then looked at Grace, his mouth still quite full. "This," he announced in a muffled voice, gesturing first to the girl beside him, "is Lady Sharon Reinsworth." He swallowed his giant mouthful of cake before continuing. "And _this_, Ojou-sama," he went on, now looking at Sharon and waving one hand at Grace, "is Grace Sorelle, our latest guest. She came back with Oz-kun and company."

"Because that's not weird or suspicious at _all_," Emily chimed in from Break's shoulder. Grace stiffened slightly as Break turned his face to the doll and patted it on the head. "Now, now, Emily, don't be rude to our guest!" he scolded cheerily. "Keep your words of wisdom to yourself for now, all right?"

Sharon ignored Break's conversation with his doll and smiled warmly at Grace. "Oh. In that case, welcome, Grace-san. Won't you join us?" She gestured to the chairs set up around the table.

Grace opened her mouth to reply, but Alice beat her to it, pushing past her and taking a seat at the opposite end of the table, across from Sharon and Break. "Thank goodness," she exclaimed, immediately grabbing a plate and piling it high with sweets, ignoring the tea completely. "I'm starved."

Oz laughed and sat next to her. "When _aren't_ you starved, Alice?" He took a teacup, and Sharon obligingly poured him some tea. Raven silently walked over and sat on Oz's other side, though he didn't take anything for himself. Grace drifted over awkwardly and took the remaining seat between Sharon and Alice, timidly getting her own plate and teacup. Sharon poured her tea as well.

A few minutes passed rather pleasantly, with everyone munching on sweets and sipping their tea, chatting idly about nothing in particular. Grace was quiet, replying only when spoken to; she felt so out of place here, drinking tea in a fancy mansion among people who belonged to famous and noble families. Just an hour or so ago, she'd been running for her life, with no one to turn to and nowhere to go. How had she wound up here, of all places?

Soon enough, everyone had finished their tea, and all the desserts were gone as well; most of them were now in Alice and Break's stomachs. Break leaned back in his chair and put his crossed feet on the table, pulling out a pink lollipop from somewhere under his coat. "Ahh," he sighed closing his eyes and sticking the lollipop in his mouth. "That really hit the spot. So, now that everyone is satisfied…" His visible eye opened a crack and slid sideways to regard Grace, who had relaxed slightly over the course of the last few minutes. She tensed up again as he stared at her for a moment, twirling the lollipop in his mouth. Eventually there was a small _crunch_, and he drew the lollipop stick back out, spinning it idly. "Let's hear what our guest has to say about what she's doing here." He smiled and flicked the lollipop stick away; it landed squarely in Oz's empty teacup.

Oz frowned slightly and rested his elbows on the table. "Well, we met her in Nosambria, and she was in trouble, so we helped her out." By now, Raven and Alice were both looking at him sideways with tense expressions. Sharon's face was serene and vaguely interested.

"Ah, did you, now?" Break clasped his hands calmly over his stomach, his eerie red eye never leaving Grace's face. She was growing paler by the minute. _He knows already. I don't know how, but he acts like he already knows that I'm…_

"Yeah," Oz continued. "And she couldn't stay there, so we decided to bring her with us." He was keeping the explanation as short and vague as possible, Grace noted. What had happened to 'not leaving anything out'? _He must be hoping that Break won't press for details,_ she realized.

But clearly there was no such luck. Break smiled patiently. "Oh? It sounds like there's an interesting story behind that… Care to elaborate?" He inquired, his eye still locked onto the pale and nervous girl like a targeting laser.

Oz nodded. "Okay, sure. But, Break?"

"Yes, Oz-kun…?"

Oz waved a hand in front of his own face. "I'm over here." Break blinked and finally looked away from Grace, smiling over at Oz. Grace sunk down a little in her seat, breathing a silent sigh of relief.

"Picky, picky," Emily shrilled. Break gestured for Oz to proceed.

Oz leaned back in his chair. "Well, Raven, Alice and I were just heading back to the carriage when Grace practically ran right into us. She stopped and told us that we'd better get out of there, because there was a guy with a gun after her." _No chains mentioned. Thank God. _Grace watched anxiously as Oz continued his explanation. "Then she kept running, and the man came after her, but he stopped and looked like he was considering shooting us instead. But she stopped, too, and turned around and yelled that he was after her, not us! And he shot at her, but he missed, and he started chasing her again…" Here Oz puffed out his chest, and Grace could just _see_ his ego inflating. "But then," he announced dramatically, "in a moment of valor, I jumped in between them! I bravely threatened to beat the guy up, and he ran screaming like a little girl!" He sat there looking proud of himself as Alice, Raven, and Grace sweatdropped.

Break rolled his single visible eye and looked lazily at Grace. "Clearly, Oz-kun's side of the story is a little biased," he observed dryly.

"He's such a ham!" Emily agreed empathetically, and Oz quickly deflated, a pout surfacing on his face.

Break smiled. "Why don't you tell us what _really_ happened, Grace?" He took his feet off the table and instead rested both arms across it, setting his chin on top of them and looking up at her innocently. "And don't leave out all the good details like Oz did," he suggested helpfully.

Grace stiffened. "What do you mean?" she asked warily. "Oz was doing a great job until-"

"I mean," Break interrupted, that unreadable smile still on his face, "that Oz-kun forgot to mention that the 'guy with the gun' was from Pandora."

Grace felt her blood turn to ice in her veins. She stared blankly as Break sat up in his chair again, folding his arms and drumming his fingers on his sleeves. "And he neglected to mention _why_ you were being chased in the first place," Break added thoughtfully, his head tilted slightly to one side. "So… Why don't you start the story over, Grace, and be sure to give us all the juicy little details, all right?"

Oz was beginning to look a little pale himself. "How did you know he was from Pandora, Break?"

Break looked away from Grace to smile contentedly at Oz. "Well, you three were on a rather dangerous mission," he explained lightly, "so when we received an unexpected visit from Reim a little less than an hour ago, I asked him if Pandora had seen anything happen in Nosambria tonight. Reim-kun kindly informed me that two events had taken place: the first had to do with your mission…" He looked at Oz, Raven, and Alice respectively. "Earlier tonight, a distorted Trump Card and its contractor chased down a girl and two of her companions, but both the chain and its contractor were dragged into Abyss before they could do any damage." Here, Oz grew even paler, and put a hand to his pocket, where he had put the flower stem he'd been fiddling with on the carriage ride. Raven glanced at him grimly. Alice was beginning to look a little angry, but she just watched Break and said nothing. Break turned his gaze back to Grace and smiled widely before continuing. "The second event was due to an inexperienced and overeager Pandora agent. Reim seemed quite irritated when he told me that this agent had chased down a rogue contractor in the streets of Nosambria, shot at her in the middle of a crowd of witnesses, and then left when a group of bystanders threatened to report him to the local police force." He chuckled tolerantly as Grace began to tremble. "Of course, when he returned to Pandora, he was strictly reprimanded for his carelessness. There's a good reason why we keep our work undercover; imagine the chaos that would ensue if the public was aware that our job was to get rid of monstrous creatures from another dimension! No, there must be no witnesses when we track down our targets, especially when we're trying to kill instead of arrest."

_Oh my God. "We?" __**That's**__ why Oz and Alice told me he was likely to throw me in prison; he really __**is**__ a member of Pandora himself! And he knows what happened, he knows what I am- _

"_So_, Grace-kun," Break concluded, rising from his chair and stretching lazily, casually picking up his cane from where it had rested against his chair. "It's been nice having you as a guest, but I'm afraid I have no choice but to place you under arrest-"

"Wait, Break! Hold on a second!" Oz protested, getting up as well, his hands resting flat on the table. "She tried to help us, you can't just arrest her-"

"I certainly can, Oz-kun," Break informed him lightly. "Surely you didn't expect me to just let it slide. I made an exception with you for a reason; I have no such reason this time around. An illegal contractor is an illegal contractor, and that's all there is to it." He looked sideways at where Grace sat shivering, his expression dark, still smiling. "Open your eyes, Oz… All of you, really, since none of you protested." He cast his gaze at all three of them- Oz, Alice, and Raven- before returning it to Grace. "You and Alice are the exception, Oz, but you know what other illegal contractors are like." He strolled over to stand just beside Grace's chair, both eyes now in shadow. She couldn't look at him; she sat there in silence, staring unseeingly at the table, still trembling slightly. Break went on regardless. "Who knows," he mused softly, smiling at Oz, Raven, and Alice in turn, before looking down at Grace, "how many people this harmless-looking girl has murdered in cold blood…?"

A small, agonized breath escaped Grace's lips. She clutched her temples with hands that were now shaking violently. "I-I… I didn't… I never meant…" she whispered, aghast.

"Ah, you see? She never 'meant.' Which means, she certainly _has_ caused some death and destruction in her time." He chuckled, still standing beside her chair, and lifted his cane from the floor, pushing the tip under Grace's chin to lift her agonized face a little, her sea-green eyes now welling with tears. Break smiled, and now the smile had the slightest edge of distaste to it. "Illegal contractors are all the same," he observed scathingly. "They're all either mad with power or mad with guilt."

"That's enough, Break." Sharon looked at Break with a firm, disapproving gaze as he turned his head to face her. "You've made your point. There's no need to harass her." She looked at Grace, and her pink eyes held sympathy and compassion for this grief-stricken and shivering girl. "Perhaps you could tell us how all of this came to be," she suggested gingerly, "so that we might better understand your point of view?"

Grace swallowed hard and looked at the faced lined up around the table. Alice was looking at her with the slightly uncomfortable expression of someone who hates seeing people break down. Oz was looking tense and worried beside his chain. Raven was eyeing her with his usual grave expression, but she noted that there was a slight crease between his eyebrows. Break had removed the cane from beneath her chin and was leaning on it with one hand, looking for all the world as though none of this had damaged his high spirits in the slightest. And Sharon was watching her patiently as if waiting for her to begin.

Grace drew in a slow, deep breath. After a moment, she let it out shakily. "F-fine. I'll… I'll tell you…" Her throat closed up, and she bowed her head, rubbing her eyes with her palms. She was silent for what seemed like a long time.

"I'll tell you all about my fatal mistake," she whispered at last, "and what it cost me… Me and everyone I care about."


	3. Chapter 3: Ignorance

((All right, now we're getting to the good stuff! Chapter Three is narrated by Grace as she tells the Pandora Hearts bunch the story of her past. … Really, she'd be having a mini breakdown as she said all this, but somehow I just didn't want to ruin the story with all that stuttering and sobbing. I swear she's not usually so wimpy. Just in the first few chapters.

But anyway, on with the story.))

Shatter

A Pandora Hearts Fanfiction

Chapter Three: **I**gnorance

My childhood was the best time I'm ever likely to have in this life. I was an only child, and I lived with my mother and father in a nice little house in the suburbs of Nosambria. We didn't have mountains of money like I'm sure all of you have, but we didn't really need much. We were together, and we were happy.

Ever since I can remember, I'd been best friends with my next-door neighbor. He was a couple of years older than me, very kind, and enthusiastic about absolutely everything. His name was Chris. The two of us had been inseparable since we were toddlers; we grew up together. We had so much fun, dreaming up fantastic adventures and fighting imaginary monsters. Our crazy little quests continued up until I was in third grade and he was in fifth, when we started to realize how silly we must look chasing after invisible demons. So we stopped, but the end of our daydreaming was far from being the end of our friendship.

It was in his freshman year of High School that Chris was first drawn into the world of Pandora. I remember the day he burst into my house at eleven at night, so excited he could hardly talk. He'd gotten a job, he said, and no ordinary job, either. He told me that he'd been accepted into a secret organization called Pandora, an organization that dealt with what we might see as the supernatural. He hadn't been given all the details yet, since he was just an apprentice, but he insisted that the world had just gotten a whole lot more interesting.

As time went on, he rose in rank in Pandora, but he tried his very best not to tell me everything about it. "Top secret," he said. But he still wound up talking about his beloved job. "Monsters are real," he told me, "and they're far more dangerous than fairy tale dragons." And so he wound up telling me about the Abyss, the nightmare realm that runs parallel to our own and is home to creatures called chains. He told me that chains were evil beings born of the chaos of Abyss, creatures that wanted nothing more than to escape their own dimension and feast on the humans in our own realm. "But they can't really escape Abyss," he assured me, "unless they make a contract with a human."

"A contract?" I'd echoed.

"That's right," he'd went on, "a contract is a pact made between a chain and a human; when this pact is formed, the chain may leave the Abyss and go to its human contractor. Forming contracts with chains like that is illegal," he'd added, "so the people who form them are called illegal contractors. And, really, they wind up with the short straw whether we bust them or not; when they make their contract, a clock seal appears on their chest." He'd placed a hand over his heart as if to illustrate this. "Both hands start at the noontime position. As the contractor's chain draws on its power in the human world, the clock's hand will move. When it completes a full rotation, both the contractor and the chain are drawn into the deepest level of Abyss, from which there is no escape. That's the price that every illegal contractor must pay."

"Why on earth would anyone want to make a contract with a chain, then?" I'd wondered. Oh, how I wish that I'd kept my mouth shut. Because he told me. The one thing he should never have told me or anyone else, the thing that was most important to keep "top secret…" He told it to me that day, unknowingly.

"They say," Chris replied broodingly, "that the reason why people make illegal contracts with chains is so they can have a shot at changing the past, and, in doing so, changing the present and the future."

My eyes had been wide as I stared at him. "Making a contract with a chain lets you change the past? Just like that?"

His expression had suddenly turned sheepish. "Ah… I wasn't supposed to tell you any of this," he'd admitted. "Let's just pretend this conversation never happened, all right?"

And that's where he'd stopped. If only he'd told me a little less, or a little more… But no, he'd stopped right there, and that's all the knowledge I had about chains and contractors. There would be horrible consequences for my ignorance.

Last year, my father… My father went to work, and he never came home. There'd been a fire in his workplace, a terrible fire that burned the whole building to the ground along with all of its occupants. Just like that, in a puff of smoke, he was gone from our lives forever. My mother and I mourned his loss bitterly, as did Chris, who had thought of him as a second father. I was completely distraught for months. _Oh, if only_, I'd thought to myself, _if only that fire had never happened! Why did it have to turn out like this? _My mother took it even worse than I did, and she began to get physically ill. I began missing school more and more often to stay home and take care of her. Both of our lives had been turned upside down in an instant.

And then, one night, as I slept fitfully in my room, I had a strange dream. I was alone, and it was dark. I was standing on an endless plain of water, just enough to cover the ground, not even enough to reach my ankles, and the sky… The sky was black and roiled with clouds in strange colors. All around me were boulders and other miscellaneous objects; doors suspended in midair, dressers, tables, mirrors, lying broken in the water or drifting around in the air. It was awful. It was a nightmare. And in that nightmare realm, a voice spoke to me.

"_I can sense the despair in your heart_," the voice whispered. It was a strange, reptilian voice, a voice that hissed as it spoke. "_If you could change things, if you could prevent the accident that ruined your life… Would you do it?_"

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I'd remembered what Chris had told me about contractors being able to change the past. I remembered that the price would be stranding myself in Abyss for all eternity. And, foolishly unaware as I was, I thought that this would be the _only_ price. My mind was made up instantly. "You're a chain, aren't you?" I'd called out to the voice. "I know what you want. I'll do it! I'll make a contract with you! Just, please, help me change the past… Make it so my father never died!"

There had been silence for a moment, and then a slow, chilling, snakelike laughter had begun to echo across that terrible wasteland. "_Oh_," the voice thrummed, "_dear little mortal… You've made my day._" There'd been a sudden sharp pain on my wrist, and I looked down to see a small gash in my skin. Blood welled in it, and a single drop fell into the water…

When I woke up, I thought it had just been a dream... Until I saw the cut on my wrist. Immediately, I raced into the kitchen… But my mother was still alone there. My father had not magically reappeared while I slept. Disappointed, I went about my routine as usual; my mother had been feeling better than usual that day, so I decided to go to school. And that's when I heard the voice again.

"_Ah… Ahah… Ahahahahaha! Finally! I'm out again, at long last, and it's time to revel in my freedom!_" I had been riding my bike through Nosambria's streets at the time, and I was coasting down a little side road with only two other people on it. The voice frightened me to no end, but it was nothing compared to what was about to happen.

That was when I first saw my chain. There was a sudden flash, like moonlight, but a thousand times brighter, and my bike screeched to a stop as I squeezed my eyes shut against it. When I opened them again, I found that not all of the road's occupants were human.

Before me, in midair, hovered a serpent. It must have been the length of at least three or four carriages, and its body was smooth and silvery white. It had two large purple horns protruding from its head, and its slender arms ended not in claws, but in two glinting, deadly-looking scythes. It had two more scythes sticking out of its back on arms that were extremely thin in a spidery-looking way. Its eyes were jet-black with two glowing golden pupils; slit pupils, like a snake's. The creature glowed faintly as though lit up by a full moon. It was beautiful, and completely lethal.

I was frozen in fascinated terror as the thing turned its head to look at me over one shoulder, its gaze cold, feral, and intelligent; it had the eyes of a predator. Then, abruptly, it whipped its head around to face forward and shot off like a bullet…

Towards a woman and her child who were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I tried to stop it. I sprinted after the chain, screaming for it not to hurt them, screaming for it to stop, please stop. But of course, it didn't listen to me. It went after the woman first; she never had a chance. In two seconds it was upon her, its brilliant white scythes slashing down with deadly speed and accuracy. The chain's victim barely had time to scream before her lifeblood stained the pavement crimson. The terrible serpent fell upon her and began to feed as the child screamed and backed away, crying.

I was still running towards them as the serpent's head turned to look at the young boy screaming for his mother. "_NO!_" I shrieked, skidding to a halt in front of the boy, completely horrified. "Stop! Y-you can't! I'll do anything, anything you want, just _stop_-!"

But it didn't stop. It went _over_ me, before I even had time to react. The child's scream behind me was cut off abruptly. As I whirled around, the creature thrust its face right in front of mine, inches away, and I was held immobile in those terrible black-and-yellow eyes.

"Listen to me now, mortal, so you can save your breath later," it hissed in my face. "I am Miikai, the silver death, the serpent of the moonlit plains. I can both kill and heal with ease and swiftness. I am inferior to none, and feared by all." Here, Miikai's eyes narrowed dangerously. "And I do _not_ take orders from _pitiful, weak, helpless_ little _humans_," it ground out, gnashing its blood-flecked fangs to emphasize every word.

I had never been so horrified in my life. "N-no… No! We made a contract, you can't- You can't just-"

The chain's mouth suddenly opened wide in a sharp-toothed, ruby-stained smile. "You seem to be under the impression," it noted coolly, "that a contract is some sort of agreement that I will listen to you." It laughed darkly, a raspy, chilling sound. "Well, child, let me clear that up for you. I'm free of Abyss. I've gotten what I wanted. I don't need anything more from you. You don't have the kind of power you'd need to control me. You have nothing, nothing at all to hold against me, and so I am free to do whatever I wish, in whatever way I like. Are you quite satisfied with those terms?"

I could barely speak. What was meant to be a cry of protest came out as a whisper almost too faint to hear. "I- I didn't think you- would come out and start killing people… I- I was the only one who was supposed to die- in exchange for changing the past, and- and… even that didn't happen… N-no… This isn't right…"

Miikai had laughed cruelly, right in my face. "Change the past? What a stupid, gullible child you are. Allow me to enlighten you on that… You won't be changing the past anytime soon. Or ever, really." I'd stopped breathing. Miikai looked like she was enjoying all this. "Oh, all contractors want to change the past, certainly… But there's only one way they could possibly manage it. And that is to be dragged down into the heart of Abyss once the seal completes a full rotation. There, you will meet the Will of the Abyss. It is she who has the power to change the past to her liking. You would have to beg the favor from her." Miikai smiled coldly. "And she _never_ grants favors. Contractors tend to learn that the hard way. None of them ever get to change the past as they wanted to, and you are no exception. And so, when your seal completes its full revolution, you will sink down into the heart of Abyss, and there you will die; killed by the Will, by the power of Abyss itself, or possibly slain by my own scythes, if you annoy me enough while we're still in this world." The chain stared at me with its predator eyes. "And you're doing a nice job of that already, so your future does not look terribly bright."

Speech had left me completely, and I felt like I was having a nervous breakdown right there. I was shaking so violently I could barely stay on my feet, and tears were streaming down my face. All for nothing. Two innocent people dead, my own life thrown away, and a bloodthirsty chain loose in the world; all for a hopeless cause.

And yet, that hadn't been the end of the destruction. It was a reoccurring nightmare; at irregular intervals, at least once a week, once every few days at most, Miikai would appear and murder everyone around me. I would try to stop her and fail. And she would vanish again after eating her fill. At one point I ran away from home and sought out an isolated clearing in the forest, a good few miles away from Nosambria, a good few miles away from potential victims. And there I'd curled up on my side and waited to die. But even that meager attempt at a plan backfired when Chris found me. He was so distraught; I'd never seen him get like that before. He tried so hard to get me to tell him what was wrong, what I was afraid of, what was going on. But I wouldn't tell him. How could I?

He'd brought me back home, in spite of my desperate protests. And so the cycle continued. And then…

And then Miikai had appeared at the worst time possible. When I was in the kitchen with my mother.

… I-I… I won't burden you with the gruesome details of what happened there… But… There was nothing I could do. I tried. I tried so hard to save her. But… I couldn't. There was nothing I could do… Nothing. And as the horrible demon I'd been chained to began to feast, I dropped to the floor. There was a terrible pain in my chest, right over my heart, but it was drowned in the agony from the heart itself. I clutched my chest and screamed… And screamed, and screamed. The hot pulses of pain from my chest came faster and faster until they melded together into one searing burst of agony, and I could sense the hand of my seal as it ticked once and was still. Slowly, slowly, I forced myself into a sitting position.

My countdown had begun. And it couldn't go fast enough for me.

That was when Chris had burst into the room… To see a chain hunched over the corpse of my mother, and me sitting on the bloodied floor with wide, tearstained eyes that probably looked half insane, the top half of the seal on my chest just visible over the lacy neckline of my dress. For a long moment, all he could do was stare in horrified disbelief. "G-Grace…?" He'd whispered. And I'd looked up at him with my grief-stricken face and said nothing; I couldn't say anything. There weren't words to express the roiling maelstrom of despair and fear and fierce regret that boiled in my heart. There weren't words.

But I guess what he saw wasn't his horrified, despairing best friend. I guess what he saw was an insane illegal contractor and her chain at the scene of the crime. Because his expression slowly morphed to that awful look of pain, betrayal, and anger. He backed up a step, shaking his head slowly, as though trying to wake from a dream. I saw tears well in his eyes… And then he turned around and ran away.

_Thank God Miikai didn't notice him_ was the only reaction I could process with my trauma-numbed mind.

So I'd left. I stumbled out of my home and did not look back. I wandered, lost and numb to everything, through the streets of Nosambria… Until Chris found me again. And this time, he wasn't coming to visit me as my best friend.

He was coming to do his job.


	4. Chapter 4: Bridle

((Um… I feel like I'm talking to myself because no one is reviewing, but anyway… Chapter four is a bit longer than the others. Yes, this situation is very similar to what happened to Oz and Alice… That's intentional. So, uh… Right. Here we go!))

Shatter

A Pandora Hearts Fanfiction

Chapter Four: Bridle

There was complete silence in the Reinsworth mansion. Grace Sorelle was sitting in her chair with her knees drawn up to her chest, her forehead resting against them. Her hands clutched her temples as if she could strangle the terrible, bloodstained memories out of her head. She was vaguely aware that tears were coursing down her face, and her whole body was trembling again. _Are you happy now?_ She was tempted to conclude her story that way, but she didn't. It wasn't their fault that she'd lost everything; she had no one but herself to blame for that.

After several long moments, she forced herself to look up. Everyone's expressions had changed quite a bit from the way they'd looked before she'd told her story. Sharon's hands were over her mouth, her coral eyes sad and sympathetic. Oz seemed even more upset, with a shocked and horrified look on his face, pity shining in his emerald eyes. Alice was staring at Grace, her expression surprised almost to the point of blankness. Grace noted, to her bewilderment, that there was just the faintest hint of sympathy on the chain's face, too. Even Raven was looking as if he regretted his earlier wariness.

The facial expression of Xerxes Break, however, was not so easily deciphered. The usual wide smile was gone from his face, but he didn't look particularly upset, or even sympathetic. He just sat there and looked at her calmly with that single, unreadable red eye.

_I… I just don't get it, _Grace thought numbly to herself in a rather half-hearted attempt to get her mind off of the past._ I can get a clear idea of what everyone else's personalities are like… I could tell right off the bat that their hearts were in the right places, even Alice's… But for the life of me, I can't tell with this guy. I can't tell if he's a good person or a bad one. Nothing. _It was unsettling, not knowing whether or not she could trust him. As if that wasn't bad enough by itself, her life was in his hands. If he wanted, he could throw her in jail right now and be done with it. He could even kill her, and he had good reason to, now that he knew how dangerous she was. He'd only be doing his job.

After a moment, Break rose from his chair, eyeing her thoughtfully. "Well. That _was_ an interesting story."

Oz immediately spoke up. "Break, you're not still going to arrest her, are you?" He demanded. "You heard her- she didn't know what she was getting herself into!"

Break smiled patronizingly at the boy with the golden hair. "We'll see." He turned his gaze back on Grace, still smiling. "I think I'd like to meet this chain of yours, Grace-kun," he announced lightheartedly.

Grace stared at him with wide eyes, jolted out of her numbness. "Wait… _What?_"

"He _said_," Emily rattled off loudly, "that he wants-"

"I _heard_ you, but- You can't be serious! Did you hear one word I just said?" She felt panic bubbling up in her chest. "Miikai would _slaughter_ you," she cried desperately, "_all_ of you! I wouldn't be able to stop her! Sh-she'd come and start killing again…" A horrifying thought hit her, and she suddenly scraped her chair back and jumped to her feet, eyes alight with fear. "I shouldn't even _be_ here right now! God, what if she comes back while I'm still here with all of you?" She began backing toward the door.

But Break beat her there and stood right in front of the door, blocking her way, still smiling. "Where do you think you're going now?" He inquired pleasantly. "I haven't decided yet whether or not I'm going to take you into custody. Do you really think I'm going to let you just walk out the door?"

"And anyway, your chain couldn't go on a killing spree here, so don't worry about it," Emily chimed in.

"No! You don't understand," Grace insisted, frustrated and afraid. So many had died because of her; she couldn't add these people to the list. She couldn't let that happen. "Miikai is _powerful;_ if she were to come out here-"

"Powerful, huh?" Alice got up from her chair and folded her arms across her chest, a vaguely evil-looking smile on her face. "Well, however powerful this chain is," she went on smugly, "she's no match for me. I can handle her, no problem."

"But-" Grace began to protest.

"Alice is right on that," Oz confirmed slowly. "It sounds like Miikai is strong, but Alice is one of the most powerful chains in Abyss… Legendary, apparently. If it came to a fight, your chain would be at a disadvantage, Grace."

"Not necessarily," Break spoke up suddenly. All eyes turned to him, and he smiled a strange, contemplative smile. "If this chain is who she claims to be… She has a few legends of her own, and her power levels wouldn't be as far behind Alice-kun's as you might think." He was silent for a moment, as though lost in thought. Then he suddenly looked up again and smiled. "Which is exactly why I want to see her in person," he concluded calmly.

Grace was pale as ash. There were legends about her chain…? "B-but- If she's so powerful, and you _know_ she's so powerful, then why on earth would you want to-?"

"Don't worry about the little details just now," Break cut her off cheerily, flapping one hand dismissively. _**Little**__ details? This guy really __**is**__ nuts…!_ "In any case, teatime is over for the time being. Let's go and meet this chain, shall we?" And he strolled out the door.

Grace stared after him blankly as Sharon rose from her seat and calmly walked towards the doorway, stopping next to Grace on the way there. She offered a reassuring smile. "Don't worry; Break has everything under control," she insisted sweetly. "Your chain won't hurt anyone here, so don't be afraid. Everything will be fine." She then turned and followed her peculiar companion out of the room.

Grace didn't move for a few moments. Slowly, she raised a hand and rubbed her forehead with it. _I really, __**really**__ hope these guys know what they're doing… _

"Oi." She turned around, surprised, to find a frowning Alice standing behind her. The chain had her arms folded, and was looking at her with the expression of someone trying very hard to solve a riddle. Alice opened and closed her mouth several times as if unsure how to go about this. After a moment in which her expression went from concentrated to frustrated, she finally got out a whole sentence. "Are you… Okay?"

Grace blinked at Alice in near astonishment. The chain scowled at her impatiently. "Just asking," she went on grumpily, "because you looked like you were about to have a giant meltdown a minute ago. You don't seem so upset anymore, though. So… That means you're okay now. Right?"

Grace eyed the girl in bewilderment. _My God… Is Alice really a chain, or were my senses just malfunctioning? _But no, she could still feel the power coming off the chain girl in waves. "Um, actually," she said after a moment, "the only reason I'm not still in meltdown mode is because I've gone from thinking about my past to worrying about what's going to happen now."

Oz and Raven would have reached the door and gone out a long time ago, but Oz was currently standing a little way behind Alice and watching the show with what looked like a combination of surprise and amusement. Raven was watching, too, with raised eyebrows.

Alice's own eyebrows descended in what almost looked like a confused expression. "Oh." She paused. Then she shook herself and frowned again. "Yeah, well. I was just curious. It's not like I care, or anything stupid like that," she added flatly, and proceeded to walk right out the door without another word.

Grace blinked, bemused, as Oz walked over, smiling, Raven trailing behind him. "That was… odd," she said after a moment.

Oz nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, it was certainly different. I think you freaked her out a little."

Grace turned to look at him incredulously. "_I_ freaked _her_ out?"

Oz rubbed the back of his head with his good-natured smile. "I think so. I guess she doesn't like seeing people so-"

Abruptly, a white-sleeved hand reached in through the doorway, grabbed Grace by the arm, and dragged her out as she yelped slightly in alarm, cutting their conversation short. She stumbled sideways through the hallway as Break pulled her onwards, casting a cheery smile over his shoulder at her. "Stalling will get you nowhere," he informed her blithely.

"Chicken," Emily added scornfully.

Soon they all came out in a wide open foyer-type area with a grand staircase leading down to the first floor. It was here, as soon as they'd reached the bottom of the staircase, that Break stopped and turned to Grace, leaning casually on his cane with his other hand resting on his hip. He looked at her expectantly. "All right, then," he prompted lightly, "let's see this chain of yours."

Grace swallowed. "… You act like I can summon her at will. She just pops up at random, it's not like-"

"You _should_ be able to summon her at will, actually, Grace-chan," Sharon put in. "She _is_ your chain, after all. You can call her to you whenever you wish."

_But I __**don't**__ wish to call her… _Grace looked around uncomfortably, fidgeting for a moment. After a few seconds, she let out a tense breath. "Are you _sure_ about this? I mean… If she were to hurt any of you-"

"Everyone here is used to defending themselves against chains," Raven said suddenly. Grace glanced at him, surprised. He hadn't been saying much of anything this whole time. He looked at her soberly. "We can handle it," he assured her dryly. "So go on."

Grace looked around at the others once, as though to gather her courage, and then drew a deep, slow breath. "Okay… Okay." She let her eyes close, feeling the anxiety on her expression.

_What if something goes wrong…_

_What if they've underestimated her…_

_ What if-_

"Miikai," she whispered.

For a long moment, nothing seemed to happen. Grace cautiously opened one eye. _Oh, thank God. I guess I can't summon my chain after all-_

But no, something _was_ happening. The huge room began to brighten; not with the warm, comforting glow of the candles mounted on the walls, but with the cold, pristine luster of moonlight. The sourceless light grew brighter and brighter until it suddenly flashed white-hot, forcing Grace's eyes shut. When she opened them, Break had his back to her, now facing the room's newest occupant.

And it was just as it had been that first fateful day. A large, graceful serpent hovered before them in the center of the room, glowing surreally with the light of the moon. It gazed down at them with those deadly, predatory black and yellow eyes, taking them in.

Grace was frozen with terror, staring up at the beast with dread. _This is it… If these guys miscalculated, if Miikai is stronger than they thought… They're all going to…_ Her heart constricted, and she silently drew her two steel sais from her belt, clenching them tightly in her fists, in preparation for the fight she knew she would lose… As she always did. But hell if she would just stand by and watch it happen.

To her complete astonishment, Break was smiling; a full-fledged grin that took up a good portion of his face. "Well, well," he said softly, his single wine-red eye locked on the moonlit apparition hanging in midair less than twenty feet away. "Beautiful and terrible, just as the legends say. It's a true honor to meet you… Miikai, the Silver Death."

The serpent's eyes narrowed dangerously to two glowing slits as she stared down at Break. After a moment, a quiet sound filled the air; a long, drawn-out hiss that sounded like water hitting a hot stove. "And _who_," the Silver Death said slowly in that lilting, reptilian voice, "are _you_, who dares to address me so casually, without so much as a hint of fear…?" Her mouth had not opened once this whole time, and yet her voice drifted easily through the room.

Break promptly performed a low, sweeping bow, and stayed there, head tilted to look up at Miikai. "My name is Xerxes Break." He was still smiling that odd smile, as if looking not at a dangerous chain, but an unopened Christmas present.

Miikai did not reply, but her feral gaze shifted away from him to rake slowly over the faces of everyone else. Oz was staring at her, the brave lack of fear on his face just slightly strained. Raven looked at the chain with grim wariness, and Alice wore an almost identical expression. Sharon gazed silently at the serpent, grave and unflinching.

Miikai's eyes lingered on Alice for a moment, and the chain stiffened in response, violet eyes narrowing. But Miikai just snorted lightly and moved on. At last, the serpent's eyes came to rest on Grace's pale, determined stare. Slowly, Miikai's mouth opened in a sharp-toothed combination of a smile and a snarl. "I didn't think you would summon me yourself, child," she hissed coolly. "It's about time… Have you finally realized how futile your struggling is? Perhaps you've decided to give me a peace offering…?" She looked lazily at the other people in the room. "How wise of you… I _was_ getting hungry."

"_No,_" Grace snapped, clutching her sais tighter as she took a step forward, glaring fiercely at the chain. "You're not going to eat these people. I won't let you hurt them… _I won't let you!_ Never again…" Grace stopped, throat constricting. She swallowed and looked back up at Miikai, her expression frightened but grimly determined. "_Never again_," she repeated in a whisper.

Miikai actually looked bored. "Not _this_ nonsense again," she said flatly. "You _know_ you don't have a ghost of a chance against me, you idiot… You can't protect _yourself_ from my scythes, let alone anyone else." She casually stretched her arms out, the deadly scythes flexing and flashing. A ghastly smile spread across her face. "_You're helpless_," her voice whispered coldly. "And that's a lesson that I suppose I'll just have to keep hammering into you." Suddenly the chain reared up, leering down at them ominously-

"Ah, ah, ah," Break cut in casually, strolling forward and wagging a finger at the silver serpent as though she were a badly behaved child. "As much as I'd like to see you in action, I'm afraid I can't let you harm anyone here. Besides, there are a few questions I'd like to ask you."

Grace stared at him, horrified. _Oh my __**God**__. What is he __**doing**__? That moron is going to get himself __**killed**__! _Miikai paused and looked down at Break blankly, as though marveling at his stupidity. After the initial surprise, however, her lips drew back in a frightening sneer. "_Impudent fool_," she hissed menacingly, her long body writhing and coiling in the air. "_Talking down to me will be the last mistake of your pitiful life!_" And, abruptly, she shot down towards the snowy-haired figure, scythes outstretched and glinting dangerously. So fast, like a bolt of silver lightning. Unavoidable.

Fear flooded Grace like a wave of ice water, and she was suddenly in motion as well, sprinting towards them, knowing that she was not going to make it. "_NO!_" she cried at the top of her voice, the futile tears flying from her cheeks.

But then Break did the impossible. He skipped lightly to one side, dodging the lightning-fast strike.

The huge serpent hurtled right past him, eyes widening in surprise as her scythes scraped harmlessly against the tiled floor, leaving two deep fissures. Recovering quickly, she swooped back around to face him and just hovered there for a moment, long tail lashing slowly, demonic eyes gleaming with anger.

Grace slowed to a stop, eyes wide with astonishment. _How…?_ Xerxes Break turned to face the glowing serpent, smiling calmly, leaning on his cane. "Well, it looks like we aren't going to be able to have a civilized conversation this way, doesn't it," he observed regretfully, his smile never fading. "I suppose there's no way around it, then." He lifted his cane in front of him and spun it twice like a baton. Then, abruptly, he gripped it with both hands and struck the floor with its tip.

The sound should not have been very loud, but it was. The deep, rumbling _crash_ echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls. And then the room darkened, and the floor began to glow. On the tiled floor all around Miikai, a bright blue circle of light flared to life, spinning and expanding. The serpent looked down in alarm as the pentacle reached its maximum width. "_No_," she barked suddenly, recognition flaring in her eyes, and she hurled herself towards the edge of the circle.

But it was too late. Before she could get out, the blue light pulsed down in waves from above the rotating circle, pulling her down with irresistible force. She struggled ferociously to stay in the air for a few seconds, thrashing and straining, her sharp hisses echoing through the room. But the gravity of the pentacle was too great, and she hit the ground with a loud _THUD_. She lay there, plastered to the tiles like an insect on fly paper, one side of her face pressed against the floor. Her visible eye burned with unspeakable hatred as she glared up at Break.

Break laughed and walked closer. "Good thing I decided to leave the restriction spells from last time in place," he said lightly as he stopped a few inches away from the edge of the circle and leaned down a little to examine the immobile chain. "This would have been _much_ more troublesome if I hadn't."

Grace stared at Miikai in astonishment as the serpent let out a wordless, frustrated hiss. Just like that, her chain was sprawled helplessly on the floor. Slowly, Grace's shoulders slumped in relief. _Oh, thank God… That was so close... I guess he __**did**__ know what he was doing, after all…_

Break smiled patiently down at Miikai. "So, now that _that's_ been dealt with, there's something I'd like to know." He carelessly nudged her silvery head with one boot, paying no heed to her vicious snarl. "I want you to tell me about your powers," he told her calmly.

Miikai bared her needle-sharp fangs at him and hissed menacingly, managing to draw her head about a foot off the ground and struggling to hold it there. "I don't answer to the likes of you, _cretin_," she snarled bitterly.

He chuckled in response, unfazed. "Now, Miikai-san," he said mildly, lifting his cane and tapping it against the side of his face. "In case you hadn't noticed, you're not in any position to be impolite right now." He suddenly raised the cane and swung it, striking her hard on the side of the head. She let out a hiss of pain as her head fell back to the ground, her reptilian face contorted in a grimace of rage and loathing.

Grace stiffened simultaneously as a dull pain pulsed from one temple. She shoved one of her sais back into her belt and clutched the side of her head with her free hand, eyes wide. _What in the world…?_

Break smiled condescendingly at Miikai, raising the slim black cane again. "So…" _**THWACK.**_ "I think…" _**THWACK**_**.** "It would be…" _**THWACK**__._ "In your best interest…" _**THWACK**_**.** "… To cooperate." He spun his cane once, still smiling, and tilted his head to one side. "Let's try that again. Why don't you tell me about your powers?"

Grace had staggered backwards, now gripping her head with both hands, gasping with pain. Each blow was more vicious than the last… And she could feel them all. _Wh-what's going on…? It hurts… How am I feeling this? Is it because I'm her contractor? Does that mean I can feel her injuries?_

"Break!" That was Sharon, looking worried. "Break, stop! Grace and Miikai are linked; you're hurting her, too."

"Eh?" Break looked over his shoulder at Grace, who still gripped her throbbing head. "Ah… That's right. I'd forgotten." He smiled unaffectedly at Grace. "Sorry about that, Grace-kun," he said cheerily, "and I apologize in advance for whatever else I wind up doing to this creature. But it's completely necessary. So… Just hang in there, okay?" He turned back to Miikai as Grace stared at him incredulously. "Anyway," he went on brightly. "You were saying, Miikai?"

Miikai's lips were drawn far back over her fangs, and her eyes were narrowed to slits, staring up at Break with silent, seething rage. She let out a long hiss before she spoke. "Fine…" she rasped grimly. "But someday you will pay for this in blood…"

"I rather doubt that," Break replied mildly. "But in any case, go on."

Miikai glowered at him for several seconds in silence. "… Hmph," she snorted at last. "Well… As you already know, I am Miikai, the serpent of the moonlit plains… I'm sure I've been featured in a few legends. I am the fastest chain in Abyss... My swiftness is unmatched, unchallenged." Here she scowled at him grudgingly. "You were extremely lucky that I was off guard when I attacked you," she admitted bitterly. "I did _so_ want to see the look of fear upon your face before I reached you, and so I moved slower than I should have. Believe me," she added ominously, "it's a mistake I will not make again."

Break smiled tolerantly and gestured for her to continue. Her eyes narrowed. "I can enter a human's dreams," she went on flatly. "Or a chain's, for that matter… I can merely observe them, or I can alter them. I'm particularly fond of bringing people's darkest fears to life in their dreams…" She smiled fiercely. When Break's expression did not change, her smile slowly faded back into that dangerous glare. "… Well," she snapped after a moment. "You've heard what you wanted to hear. Are you _quite_ satisfied?"

Break laughed at the chain. "You're forgetting something, aren't you?" he pointed out dryly. "You've left out the power I'm most interested in… Admittedly, it's spoken of very little in the legends, but Grace mentioned it when she told us what you said to her when you first appeared in this world… And the look on your face tells me that you _do_ possess it. How about it, Miikai?"

The serpent's teeth clenched. She was silent for several seconds. "… Fine…" She muttered at last. "Fine. You're right… I did leave something out." She paused. Break twirled his cane, and her lip curled, but she went on. "I am equally adept at hurting and healing," she snarled reluctantly. "I can heal most injuries… I can even turn back a contractor's clock seal, at a price."

"Turn back a contractor's clock seal?" a voice echoed sharply. Turning around, Grace found that it was Alice, staring intently at the chain plastered to the floor.

Miikai's eyes turned to Alice and narrowed. "Yesssss…" she hissed slowly, broodingly. "That's right… For a price, I said." Her lip curled slightly. "But the price is not paid by the person whose seal is reset," she said resentfully. "On the contrary; it's paid by my own contractor, and, likewise, by me. No, it doesn't benefit me in the slightest… So don't expect me to do you that favor. You're a chain as well, I see… So of course you would want to extend your time in this world." Alice's fists clenched, but Miikai took no notice. "But I would be giving up some of my own time in exchange. And that is something I will not do."

Break was grinning from ear to ear. "Ah… So I was right." He laughed delightedly. "Thank you _ever_ so much for the valuable insight, Miikai-san. I'd let you go now, but there's still one thing I have left to address." He strolled forward and knelt right in front of her inside the pentacle; the gravity that held the chain to the floor didn't seem to affect him, Grace noted. He reached out and wrapped a hand around one of Miikai's long, purple horns and proceeded to lift her face to eye level, with some effort. He smiled, right in her face. "From now on," he informed her brightly, "you are going to listen to every word your contractor says to you. Any order she gives, you will carry out swiftly and effectively. If she tells you not to do something, you won't do it. Understood?"

Miikai's black-and-gold eyes widened in outrage, her topaz pupils shrinking chillingly. Her lips drew back in a violent snarl. "_Fool!_ I may be trapped for now, but as soon as you release me, you will have not the slightest _hint_ of control over my actions! I will mutilate every square inch of your body and _bathe_ in the blood from you and your pathetic _friends_. What makes you think you can tell me what to do and what not to do?"

Break looked down at her for a long moment, his eyes cast in shadow. Slowly, he smiled. "Well, now… I guess I'll just have to show you, won't I?" he murmured. He stood up, letting go of her horn so that her head slammed back into the floor, and took a few deliberate steps back, still with that eerie smile on his face as he leaned on his cane.

And as Grace looked on, the room began to grow darker yet. Soon, the only light came from Miikai and the glowing pentacle beneath her. Grace looked around warily, tensing up. _What's going on __**now**__…?_ She looked uncertainly back at Break, and then she froze.

Behind Xerxes Break loomed a huge, shadowed mass. As the combined light from Miikai and the bright blue circle shone softly into that blackness, Grace's eyes adjusted… It wasn't just a dark blob that hovered behind Break. It was something much more frightening. As Grace's eyes widened in fear, she heard a small, sharp intake of breath from the serpent on the floor. She ripped her eyes away from the shadowy creature to glance at Miikai, and what she saw there was not at all reassuring. The silvery chain's eyes were wide with shock, and, alarmingly, with a trace of genuine fear. "_Mad Hatter…_" Miikai breathed, aghast.

Grace quickly looked back at Break and the chain behind him, and indeed, it sounded like a fitting name for the creature. It seemed to have no body, no head, no nothing; it was simply a huge black top hat adorned with a few violet feathers and roses, swathed in a giant, flowing black cloak with ragged edges that seemed to melt into the darkness of the room. The cloak seemed to be fastened on with a large steel chain with a skull-shaped clasp, and below the cloak… A horizontal slit, just a slash of reddish light, seemed to hover in the shadows.

Break stood casually beneath it, smiling darkly and leaning on his cane. "That's right," he told Miikai evenly as the midnight cloak billowed above him. "And I'm sure you know all about the Mad Hatter's power… It is a chain made specifically to kill other chains." He chuckled as the slash of light suddenly widened a little. "It can neutralize anything that comes out of Abyss…" He snapped his fingers, smiling ominously. "Just like that. Gone forever in the time it takes to blink." Suddenly the slash of light flew wide open, revealing itself to be a huge, perfectly circular red eye.

Miikai let out a choking sound, the fear in her eyes now kindled to terror. She began struggling to break free of the pentacle, thrashing violently. "_All right! All right! Stop! Dismiss your beast!_" she snapped, horrified.

Break let out a childish giggle and put one finger on his chin thoughtfully. "What's the magic word?" he inquired innocently, seeming to enjoy this whole display. The shadowy specter behind him stared down at Miikai with that terrible, wide eye.

Miikai hissed in frustration, her eyes never leaving the Mad Hatter. "Pl-… _Please_," she snarled in an agony of hatred and humiliation and terror, "get that _thing_ out of here, _now!"_

Break laughed, and the dark chain behind him slowly began to fade. The darkness in the room faded as well, until both were gone, and they were all back in that room lit by warm candles and cool moonlight. Miikai slowly ceased her thrashing and just lay there, eyes still wide and unsettled, gazing warily at Break.

Grace was doing much the same thing, and when she glanced back at the others, she found that they all had similar wide-eyed expressions on their faces… All except Sharon, who was staring at Break worriedly. She looked almost upset.

Break shifted slightly to lean more heavily on his cane, the smile still on his face. "So, Miikai-san," he concluded, "are you going to cooperate with your contractor or not? I really don't think you want to fall victim to such an unpleasant fate, so it really would be in your best interest…"

There was still loathing in Miikai's dark eyes, but now it was mixed with traces of wariness and grim, reluctant resignation. She was silent for a long time. Then, slowly, she let out a long, hissing breath. "Fine… So be it," she said at last, looking suddenly very tired. "You win, Xerxes Break… I am…" her lip curled, and her next words were brimming with bitterness, "… _at your mercy_."

Break chuckled. "Yes, you are," he agreed cheerily. "And of course you'll listen to anything _I_ say as well as anything your _contractor_ says, ne?" The serpent scowled at him, but nodded painfully. He smiled. "Good! Well, that's settled, then. That wasn't so hard, was it?" He raised his cane and brought it down once on the floor, the sound echoing once again off the walls. As they watched, the bright blue pentacle glowed brighter and slowly rose off the floor and into the air, spinning rapidly. Then it faded away, and the room returned to normal. Grace caught her breath as Miikai slowly rose back into the air, still glaring at Break ominously. But the chain made no move to attack.

Break waved one hand dismissively. "Well, that was a nice chat," he said calmly. "You may leave." Miikai stared at him wearily for a long moment before she began to glow brighter. Moonlight flashed once, and then she was gone.

No one moved for several seconds. Then the smile on Break's face began to fade a little. He allowed his head to droop forward as he leaned heavily on his cane, taking deep breaths. After a moment, a few dry, irregular coughs escaped him.

Sharon immediately hurried past Grace as she made her way across the tiled floor to him. "Break!" She stopped beside him, one hand hovering at her chest uncertainly, and looked up worriedly at his face. "Break, are you all right? You can't afford to-"

"No, it's fine, Ojou-sama," he cut her off, carefully raising his head again and smiling once more. "I'm fine. Don't worry so much." He stopped leaning on his cane and turned back towards them. "That went well, wouldn't you agree?" he asked optimistically as he strolled back in their direction, Sharon trailing behind him, still with a worried crease between her eyebrows.

Grace just stared at him, disconcerted. She had never seen anything _like_ that before… But this meant that her chain wouldn't go on rampages anymore. Grace could stop her now. No one else had to die because of her… Tears of relief prickled at the corners of her eyes, and she rubbed at them absently before she looked up at Break as he headed towards them. "Th-… Thank you," she said simply.

Break snorted. "Don't thank me," he told her mildly as he passed, smiling. "I didn't do it for you."

From behind her, she heard Oz speak. "So… I guess this means you aren't going to arrest her?" he asked dryly.

She turned around to see Break laugh and poke him in the chest with the tip of his cane. "Don't be silly," he said cheerily, "how could I waste a power as useful as that? Of course I'm not going to arrest her." He turned back around to face Grace, a satisfied smile on his face. "From now on, Grace-kun," he informed her amiably, "you're working with us. It will be awfully dangerous, but I'm sure you'll survive. You've got nothing to worry about with a chain that strong under your command. So, you work for Pandora with us, and we'll keep your chain from massacring people… And keep that Chris boy from shooting you full of holes. Do we have a deal?"

It didn't seem like she had much choice in the matter, did it? "Deal," she agreed helplessly, and had to smile. She had made terrible mistakes so far, but maybe she could make up for it now, by helping these people.

Maybe she could do some good, after all.


	5. Chapter 5: Enemy

Shatter

A Pandora Hearts Fanfiction

((Okay, now we're getting to the actual storyline. From here on out, I'll be going right from the anime episodes. That means that the chapters will probably be veeeery long. Oh, just one thing I forgot to mention; -kun is used mostly for boys, I know, but Break always uses it when he talks to Alice… So I figured I would stick with it. So… Yeah.

Zwei- So much talking! Let's get on with the show, shall we~?))

Chapter Five: **E**nemy

In spite of every worry, every question, every doubt spinning around inside Grace's head that night, she was out like a light within minutes of lying down.

And still it seemed like only seconds before she pried her eyes open to the sight of cheery sunlight streaming in through the large, curtained windows of her spacious guest room. With a reluctant groan, she forced herself to sit up and spent a moment rubbing the sleep out of her weary sea-green eyes. She spent another moment gazing at the room around her, still only half awake. It was a lovely bedroom, far nicer than any she'd ever stayed in; it was big, well decorated, and nicely furnished, with a large closet, dresser, and desk. The bed itself was huge and far softer and plushier than the one Grace had at home. She even had her own bathroom.

Grace dragged herself unenthusiastically into said bathroom to wash up, and soon wandered out into the hallway. There she stopped, looking around uncertainly. This place was gigantic… Which way was she supposed to go?

At that moment, the door across the hall from hers opened… And out strolled Xerxes Break. She caught a glimpse of Oz sitting on a chair in the room before Break closed the door neatly behind him. He smiled impishly at Grace, taking no notice of her slightly wary expression. "Ohayo gozaimasu, Grace-kun," he greeted brightly. "You look exhausted."

Grace stared at him flatly for a second, sweatdropping. _He really speaks his mind, doesn't he? _"…Right… Good morning to you, too…" She paused and found herself hoping that her peculiar new ally would go on his merry way without another word.

But of course, this hope was in vain. "She looks pretty lost, don't you think, Break?" Emily chattered helpfully.

Break grinned at the doll on his shoulder. "Now that you mention it, I guess she does," he agreed cheerily, as though she was not standing right in front of him. "Do you think we should show her where to go, Emily?"

"That would be the _nice_ thing to do, I think," Emily observed thoughtfully. "I guess the real question is… Do you feel like being nice today?"

"Um," Grace cut in quickly. "That's okay, you don't have to, I'll… Uh, I'll find my own way." _And how are you going to do that?_ She asked herself dryly.

Break looked at her as though just noticing her and folded his arms, his smile taking on a slightly condescending look. He raised a floppy-sleeved hand to his mouth and chuckled, amused. "All right, then," he told her placidly, "suit yourself." And he turned around and strolled off down the hallway.

She watched nervously for a moment. _Smooth, Grace. Real smooth. Weren't you just wondering where to go from here? You should've just let the guy show you._ But, even in the face of common sense, Grace could not bring herself to follow him. Break unnerved her with his unpredictability; he _acted_ harmless and cheerful, certainly, but she'd witnessed an entirely different side of him last night when he'd casually threatened to arrest her, beat a (temporarily) defenseless creature with his cane, and summoned up a monstrous and shadowy chain of his own… All without losing that crescent-moon smile. She _still_ couldn't tell if he was a decent person or not. And so she just stood there in the middle of the hallway like an idiot as her potential guide disappeared around a corner, twirling his cane jauntily at his side.

Luckily, before she could start to feel _too_ silly, the door opened once more. This time it was Oz; he was looking down as he moved, one hand placed uncertainly over his heart, his expression brooding. He was so lost in thought that he almost walked right into Grace before he even noticed her. He blinked his emerald eyes and looked up. "Oh- Sorry. Good morning, Grace. Feeling any better today?"

She spared a moment to wonder what he was mulling over before she replied. "Yeah, much better, thanks. How about you? Are you okay?"

Immediately, Oz wiped the thoughtful expression clean off his face and put his sunny smile back in place. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. But I'll be better once I've had some breakfast! Come on, I think it's this way." He marched off down the hall in the same direction Break had gone.

Grace stood there for a moment before trotting after him. _It seems almost like everyone in this place has something to hide… _She pushed the thought away as she and Oz headed through the hallway and down a flight of stairs. Once they were on the first floor, finding everyone else wasn't a problem; they just followed the sounds of voices that drifted out from a half-open door.

The two teenagers came out in an airy room with a long table in the center. Sunlight shone in from the room's many windows. Seated at the table were Sharon, Alice, and Raven; Break stood nearby. Sharon was tranquilly sipping at a cup of tea, as was Raven; Alice was enthusiastically devouring a plate full of chicken drumsticks. Sharon smiled as they walked in. "Good morning, Oz-sama, Grace-san," she said peaceably. "Did you sleep well?"

"What took you so long?" Alice added in scornfully before Oz could answer. "We've been up for a while now! Lazy bum."

"This coming from someone who does nothing but eat and sleep," Raven muttered into his tea cup.

A vein throbbed on Alice's head. "Shut it, Seaweed-Head," she snapped, and went back to inhaling her chicken.

Oz and Grace sat down and had their breakfast. After a short while, Sharon looked up from her tea and smiled courteously at Oz. "So, Oz-sama," she said lightly, "what do you plan on doing now?" Raven and Alice paused with their teacup/drumstick halfway to their mouths at this question and glanced at each other curiously.

Oz paused and looked at Sharon for a moment before picking up his teacup, unperturbed. "Well," he replied thoughtfully, expression neutral, "no use sweating it. Break said he'll look for a way to remove the seal, so I was planning to look for Alice's memories for now…" He looked over at Break, who smiled and waved at him with a rather unconvincing little chuckle.

"I see," Sharon said politely, and Alice and Raven went back to drinking tea and eating chicken. Grace looked down at her teacup, a crease between her eyebrows. _**I**__ don't see, not at all,_ she thought to herself. _What __**is**__ all this about looking for Alice's memories, anyway? I wish I knew what was going on around here…_

Raven looked at Alice sideways as she stuffed her face. "You sure can eat a lot just in the morning," he observed flatly. "Do rodents really have such a heavy meat diet?"

Alice's eyes immediately acquired a dangerous gleam. Suddenly, she knocked over her chair as she stood up and leapt right over Grace. Grace yelped in alarm and jerked backwards, toppling herself and her chair to the floor with a heavy _THUD_.

_Clink! _Grace looked up from the floor to see that Alice had aimed a high kick right at Raven's face, and he had blocked her handily with a black revolver that he'd seemingly pulled out of nowhere. They stayed like that, with Alice smiling evilly. "_Rodent?_" she echoed severely. "The name's _Alice_, Seaweed-Head. You want to fight?"

Raven snorted derisively. "Hmph! Come, you're right where I want you, stupid rabbit!" Each of them took a step back and got into battle stances, looking like they wanted nothing more than to lop each other's heads off. The whole scene was rather comical, partly due to the fact that Alice seemed to have no problem with the idea of using a fork and knife against Raven's revolver.

Completely unfazed, if a little exasperated-looking, Oz shrugged and sighed tolerantly before taking a sip of his tea. He calmly set the cup down and looked back at Sharon. "That aside… I was thinking of going to the mansion where I had my coming-of-age ceremony."

Sharon blinked, surprised. "Oh-… To _that_ mansion?" Raven and Alice paused in their posturing to look at Oz with serious expressions.

Oz nodded. "Yeah." He rummaged around in his pocket for a second before bringing out an ornate golden pocket watch that caught the sunlight on its gleaming metallic surface. Gazing down at it, he pressed a button on the top; the lid popped open, and a quiet, pretty little melody drifted through the room. Grace, who had set her chair back up again, blinked curiously.

"A fragment of Alice's memory was within this watch," Oz mused. "So maybe if I go to the mansion where I found this… I can find something more."

And so, it was back to the carriage for them. As they rolled along down the country road, Grace glanced timidly at the carriage's occupants. "Um- Excuse me…"

Oz, who was sitting across from her, looked at Grace curiously. "What's up, Grace-chan?" He inquired. Raven looked sideways at her as well. Alice looked much too groggy to care; she leaned drowsily against the carriage window and didn't bother to look up.

"I was just wondering… I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, or anything," she put in quickly. "But, I'm just kind of confused… What's all this about memory fragments?"

"Oh! That's right… You told us all about _your_ story, but we haven't told you anything about what _we're_ doing, have we?" He smiled apologetically. "Sorry about that. Well, I can give you the abridged version of the story now! I guess I'll start from the beginning…"

Grace nodded and rested her elbows on her knees, an attentive expression on her face.

Oz rubbed the back of his head and gazed out the carriage window as if gathering his thoughts. "Well… It all started when I had my coming-of-age ceremony. It's an old tradition that whenever an heir to the Bezarius throne turns fifteen, he goes through a big, complicated ceremony." He made a face. "It's really boring," he added sulkily.

Grace's eyes were wide. "Wait- Wait, hold on a second… _Heir to the throne?_"

Oz nodded sheepishly. "Yeah, that's right. I'm supposed to be the next Duke Bezarius." He sighed as though this was a burden he was not at all interested in.

Grace stared at him for a moment. _Holy crap… All this time I've been talking to a future duke? And not __**just**__ a future duke, but the future duke of the most famous and influential noble family out there…! _She blinked rapidly. "… Wow," she said at last. "I didn't know that. Um… Sorry about the interruption."

Oz grinned at her. "Oh, hey, don't worry about it," he said brightly. "If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. But anyway, I was going through my coming-of-age ceremony, and out of nowhere these people wearing crimson cloaks and hoods popped up." His expression grew serious. "They said I'd committed a grave sin, and they cast me into Abyss."

Grace caught her breath. _They cast him into… __**Abyss**__? How is he still alive?_

Oz leaned back in his seat and looked back out the window. "It was awful," he said meditatively. "It was the strangest place I've ever seen… Well, you know what it looks like," he added. "You've seen it, too."

"Huh? Me? No, I've never seen Abyss before…"

He tilted his head. "You remember the dream you had where Miikai made a contract with you? You know- the watery plain with the boulders and bits of furniture everywhere?" Grace nodded uncertainly. "Well," he said matter-of-factly, "that's Abyss."

Grace blinked, surprised. _That was Abyss..?_ She swallowed. "Oh, God… That place was horrible."

Oz nodded agreement. "Definitely. Well, that's where they dumped me. A bunch of chains attacked me while I was there, but then Alice showed up and saved me." He smiled at Alice, but she was slumped against the window, snoring lightly. Oz sweatdropped. "Uh… Right," he muttered, making an effort to talk more quietly. "Anyway, Alice saved me from the chains, and told me that she could get both of us out of Abyss. She asked me to sign a contract with her, and I did. Then she somehow managed to bring both of us back to the real world." Here he smiled at Raven, who looked back at him with his eyebrows raised. "When I opened my eyes, Raven was the first person I saw. I was in the Rainsworth mansion, with Raven and Sharon-chan and Break. Alice was nowhere to be seen… It turned out that she was sharing my body."

_Snrrk_, Alice snored.

Oz tried to suppress a smile and failed miserably. "So, when I told Break and Sharon and Raven what had happened, Break decided to arrest me right off the bat. Then Alice took over and tried to get away, but he managed to get her out of my body. And then he asked Alice what she planned to do in this world." He looked thoughtfully at the sleeping Alice. "She said that she had no memories; she'd woken up in Abyss one day knowing only that her name was Alice and that, for some reason, her memories had shattered into fragments and were scattered across this world. She said that she was here to find them." He looked back at Grace. "Break told us that he was investigating the Baskervilles, those people with the red hoods who threw me into Abyss. He wanted to know what I meant to them, and why they'd cast me into the realm of chains… So, he suggested that we all work together." He smiled. "And here we are."

"Well," Raven corrected dryly, "what he actually said was '_we're all using each other._'"

Oz laughed quietly. "Yeah, true. Do you think he meant it?"

"Knowing Break, yeah, he probably did."

Grace was silent, absorbing all this. "And you said earlier that one of Alice's memory fragments was in that pocket watch?" She inquired.

Oz nodded. "That's right. Actually, the memory fragment caused a tunnel to Abyss to open through the watch, and we got the memory when Alice defeated the chain that came out of it." He stretched casually. "So, now we're going back to the mansion where I found the watch… The mansion where I had my coming-of-age ceremony, where this whole mess started. Hopefully we'll find another fragment there, or at least a clue on where to look."

Grace nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense." And she fell silent.

It was a very long ride. Grace had no idea how long they'd been rolling along, but soon enough she started to get a bit sleepy, too. She found herself nodding off without meaning to. _Break was certainly on to something when he said I looked exhausted,_ she reflected drowsily just before she drifted off.

The slight jolt of the carriage as it drew to a halt was what woke her. She slowly opened her eyes, just in time to see Raven slip silently out. She blinked blearily and yawned. _Looks like we're here…_ She glanced at Oz and Alice to see that they were _both_ asleep now. Alice lay curled on her side on the red-cushioned seat, and Oz sat slumped forward, his golden hair hanging down over his face. The sudden stop had clearly failed to awaken them.

Grace wondered for a moment if she should wake them now that they'd arrived, but she couldn't quite bring herself to disturb them. So instead, she got quietly to her feet and crept out of the carriage, closing the door softly behind her.

Gazing at the scene before her, Grace blinked rapidly in the bright, cheery sunlight. She stood before yet another huge mansion, but this one was completely different from the airy, elegant Reinsworth estate. This mansion was old; its red-brick walls were covered with moss and scraggly ivy, and its windows were dark and cracked. The entire building gave off an atmosphere of foreboding that was quite at odds with the merry chirping of nearby songbirds and the clear, peaceful blue sky arching overhead. The most ominous building was the huge church that loomed up nearby.

Grace gazed warily up at the huge building for a moment longer before looking away. Raven was standing a little way away, talking to a man-

Grace stiffened. _Those clothes…_ She stared in rigid silence at the man's black-and-white trench coat that had become so familiar so quickly. A vivid image flashed in her mind; Chris standing before her in the streets of Nosambria, his chocolate-brown eyes grim and cold, a silver pistol held loosely in one hand. He was clothed not in his usual purple polo shirt and jeans, but in his work clothes; a black-and-white trench coat under a matching jacket…

_The uniform of a Pandora agent…_ She tore her eyes away and looked up at the vivid blue sky. _I guess I'll have to get used to being on the same side as them… I just hope I don't run into Chris… _She swallowed painfully.

The sound of the carriage door opening pulled her from her reverie, and she looked over her shoulder as Oz blinked in the sunlight. "Ah, we're already at the mansion…" He paused mid-sentence and stared up at the church, uncomprehending surprise flitting across his face. Grace turned to face him as his wide emerald eyes drifted slowly and disbelievingly across the cracked windows and mossy brick walls of the old building.

Grace blinked at him, confused by his reaction. _Didn't he say he'd been here before, for that ceremony…? _"Hey, good morning again," she greeted dryly, still looking at him curiously. Oz didn't look at her; he just kept staring up at the ominous building, his mouth slightly open in surprise. Grace waited for a moment. "… This place gives me the creeps," she muttered at last. "Why would they choose to conduct your coming-of-age ceremony _here_, of all places?"

He didn't get to answer her, because suddenly Raven turned away from his conversation and noticed them. His golden eyes passed over Grace and then came to rest Oz, who was still staring up at the mansion. Raven immediately headed towards them. "Oz!" he called, and the boy started and turned to look at him.

"Raven!" he returned, eyes still wide, as the man walked over to stand in front of him.

"Sorry," Raven said coolly. "We were discussing something."

Oz blinked, appearing to awaken slightly from his curious daze. "Who's that?" he asked absently, looking over at the man in the trench coat.

Raven looked over as well. "One of Pandora's staff," he replied, and the man in question bowed his head respectfully. Raven turned back to Oz with a grim expression. "Ever since that incident, this place has been under Pandora's control."

"So that's how it is," Oz responded vaguely.

Raven looked at him for a moment before rummaging around in his pocket. "It seems some trouble happened inside," he went on calmly, pulling out his black revolver. He opened it up as though to make sure it was loaded. "I'm off to check on it, so just wait out here." He snapped it shut again and put it back in his pocket.

"Ah- Okay, got it," Oz agreed with a distracted smile. He kept it in place as Raven stared at him in silence for a moment. Grace watched almost guiltily, feeling incredibly out of place.

After a long silence, Raven spoke again. "Had a nightmare, huh?" he observed.

Oz blinked. "Huh-?"

Raven lifted a hand and backhanded Oz lightly on the forehead. He let his hand fall back to his side, his neutral expression never shifting. "We couldn't have done anything about that flower seller girl," he told Oz gravely. "I… Or you."

"Uh- No, it's not that," Oz protested, rubbing his forehead, but Raven ignored this completely.

"Don't think about it too much," he advised, turning from Oz. "Later." And he walked casually away, followed by the Pandora agent.

Oz watched him disappear into the large church in silence before sitting down on the step of the carriage, gazing musingly at the ground. After a moment, he scratched his head. "He's not, but…" He turned his head to look in the direction Raven had walked in, and Grace followed his gaze. "… He's somehow similar to Gil," Oz finished meditatively.

Grace turned her gaze back to Oz and opened her mouth to ask a question, but a voice from inside the carriage beat her to it.

"Is Gil that kid with the black hair…?"

Oz turned slightly to look back into the carriage at Alice, who had propped herself up into a sitting position. "Ah, sorry," he apologized immediately. "Did I wake you?"

Alice stretched slightly without answering, arching her back like a cat before looking back at Oz, tired but alert. "Anyway, this Gil person…?" She probed.

Grace looked back at Oz as his face abruptly brightened. "That's right," he confirmed cheerily, "he was the one at my coming-of-age ceremony…"

Alice smiled slightly, and Grace was unsettled to see that the expression had a bit of malice in it. "The kid you slashed?" Alice asked almost smugly.

Oz's eyes widened in shock. His mouth opened slightly, but no sound came out. He just stared at Alice… _No,_ Grace corrected herself, watching him with concern. _Not __**at**__ her… __**Through**__ her. Like he's watching something happening behind her… Remembering. _Grace's sea green eyes turned back to Alice. _What kind of bad memory did she just stir up…? And why? I thought they were getting along… _She was suddenly and unnervingly reminded that Alice was no innocent human, but a chain… And she couldn't help but wonder if this had been a glimpse into the true nature of a creature of Abyss.

Abruptly, Alice slid off the cushioned seat and stepped past Oz, out of the carriage. She stretched luxuriously for a moment. "Well," she said bluntly, "I'm hungry. Let's go find something to eat." And she marched off in a random direction.

Oz sat there on the carriage step for a few seconds before he slowly got up, a crease between his eyebrows. After a long moment, he deftly wiped the expression away and smiled slightly at Grace. "I guess it's time for lunch," he observed dryly. "Come on, we'd better go after her."

"Um… Yeah, all right," Grace agreed. She paused. "… You okay, Oz?"

He plastered on a big smile. "Oh, yeah, of course," he declared brightly. "I'm just fine. Now come on, let's catch up to her before she starts harassing Pandora agents." And he trotted after Alice.

Grace followed them, even though she was feeling more out of place by the minute.

After Alice had browbeaten the Pandora agents into giving her some food, the three of them strolled the mansion grounds and found a large fountain not too far from the church Raven was investigating. Alice and Oz sat down on the stone wall of the fountain, and Grace almost did the same, but couldn't quite resist the urge to swing herself up onto the stout stone pillar standing in the middle of the water. She sat there on the raised platform with her legs dangling comfortably off the edge, her feet level with Oz and Alice's shoulders. Alice immediately began to eat, and Oz gazed in silence at the ground, lost in thought. "It would be great if Gil was here," he reflected, a look of wistful affection on his face. "You two are alike, Alice, so I'm sure you would have a good conversation with him. You see, he also doesn't have memories of his childhood-" He glanced up at Alice and stopped as she held out her small basket of chicken drumsticks and bread loaves.

"You're not going to eat lunch?" She inquired with uncharacteristic cheer, voice muffled around a mouthful of meat.

Oz's smile was rather strained, as though he was in shock. "Uh- n-nah, I'm fine," he replied airily. "If you want, you can eat it all," he added.

Alice looked down at the basket. "I see," she mumbled through her mouthful. Then she swallowed and grinned, picking up another drumstick. "Well, then!"

Oz smiled and looked away again. Grace pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around them, resting her chin on her knees as she looked down inquisitively at the contractor and his chain. She was starting to feel rather awkward. After a moment, Oz spoke again, still smiling. "I think it's been five years since then," he went on, "when Uncle Oscar brought Gil home…"

Grace tilted her head slightly. Alice kept munching on her food, but now she was looking at the golden-haired boy with vague interest. Oz leaned back and gazed up at the sky as he talked. "One day, he just collapsed in the mansion's garden. He couldn't remember anything besides his own name. And maybe because of that, he seemed really afraid…" He fell silent for a long moment, his emerald eyes distant. "Every day sure was fun since then," he continued, smiling warmly. "He was such an introvert and a crybaby, but he was also a really gentle guy. He always stayed by my side." He looked back at Alice and smiled sincerely. "For me, he's a dear friend who's more important than anyone else," he finished.

Alice's expression shifted unexpectedly at this last statement. From Grace's viewpoint just above them, she thought that the chain looked almost… sad. Alice bent her head and looked down in silence. _No, not "almost." She __**does**__ look sad,_ Grace thought in surprise. Alice drew her knees up to her chest and put her arms around them. She said nothing for a long time as she stared unhappily at the ground. "… I don't know about such things," she said at last, very quietly.

Oz blinked and looked at her in surprise. "Huh?"

The chain's eyes narrowed, but she did not look up. "I'm saying it's worthless," she said flatly, glaring at the grass. "Friends or whatever… In the end, aren't they just a bunch of weaklings?" She hugged her knees more tightly. "I have no need for them," she muttered, as though trying to convince herself.

Oz stared at her in concern. "Alice…"

"That's not true." Both Oz and Alice turned their heads to look up at Grace over their shoulders, and she let go of her knees and let her feet dangle over the water, sea-green eyes focused on Alice. This was going to be incredibly corny, but if that was what Alice thought, _somebody_ needed to let her know how things really were. "Friendship has nothing to do with weakness," she stated firmly. "If anything, friends only make each other stronger."

Alice's eyebrows drew together. "Stronger…?" She repeated doubtfully.

"Yeah," Grace affirmed. "Of course. Friends are always there to support each other. When you've got someone willing to watch your back, willing to stand by you no matter what… how could you possibly be weak?" Alice was looking at her like she was saying something that challenged the laws of the universe. "Look," Grace sighed at last, "all I'm saying is, there's nothing wrong wi-"

Abruptly, she stopped, eyes widening in alarm, as she sensed a sudden surge of power nearby. Oz and Alice's expressions both changed suddenly as well, and the three of them stood up at once.

"What was that just now?" Oz asked quietly, sounding shaken.

Grace looked around warily and lightly leapt down from the pillar to stand on the wall of the fountain just behind Alice and Oz. "I don't know," she said uneasily, resting a hand on one of the sais at her belt. "But something is nearby… Something powerful."

Alice was staring into the distance, looking focused. "This presence…" she murmured. "Are _they_ around here…?"

Grace was about to ask who "they" were when suddenly a noise pierced the tense air; two loud _BANG_s, one right after the other, coming from the direction of the church. All three of them stiffened.

Oz's expression was anxious. "Was that… A gunshot?" He muttered. He clenched his teeth and abruptly took off, running towards the menacing church; the one Raven had gone into.

"Oz!" Alice snapped, reaching out after him as though to stop him. Her eyes narrowed, and she darted off in pursuit.

Grace stared after them in alarm. "Hey! Wait!" She cried, leaping off the fountain wall and sprinting after them. She drew her sais from her belt as she ran. _I don't know what all this is about, but that aura of power is coming off that church in waves… Something's in there. Something from Abyss._

_ BANG! BANG! BANG!_ Three more gunshots in rapid succession split the silence. Grace stiffened but kept running. _That must be Raven's revolver… What's going on in there? _"Over here," Oz called urgently over his shoulder, rounding the corner of a building and pouring on the speed. Alice and Grace ran faster to keep up. Soon they reached the huge double doors, and the three of them slowed down. Oz walked to the entrance and reached for the handle, but a female voice from inside made him pause.

"Ah, I get it," the voice exclaimed with relish, loud enough to come through the wooden doors clearly. "You're still angry about back then… At that coming-of-age ceremony…" Grace blinked. _Oz's ceremony…? Who __**is**__ that?_

The voice laughed and crooned smugly, "So my using your body to hurt your Young Master was _that_ unforgiveable!"

Oz went rigid, a small gasp escaping from his lips. His hand went to his heart almost reflexively.

From inside the church, Raven's voice rang out, angrier than Grace had ever heard it. "_I'll never forgive you!_" _BANG. BANG_. Two more gunshots punctuated his statement, and Grace put one hand to her mouth, fully expecting to hear the woman scream in agony.

But instead, the voice laughed spitefully. "_Ahaha_, you really have a one-track mind! _It's already been ten years since your Young Master fell into the Abyss!_"

Oz's eyes snapped wide open in shock, and Grace shot him a quick look. _Ten __**years**__? But the ceremony was when he was fifteen, and he doesn't look much older than that now! What on Earth-?_

"What are you _doing_?" Alice snapped impatiently, and pushed past Grace and Oz. Without another word, she strode up to the double doors and promptly kicked them open.

Grace's breath caught as her eyes swiftly adjusted to the dimness of the church. The bodies of Pandora agents were strewn like ragdolls across the dusty floor. Just ahead of the rows of dark wooden pews, a grand red-carpeted staircase led upwards two stories and ended at a large clock tower. Standing just beside the bottom of the staircase, his back to them, stood Raven. His black revolver was clenched tightly in one hand, and the floor at his feet was strewn with bullets.

Sitting on the railing of the second floor was a figure wearing a deep crimson cloak, her face shrouded by its hood. All that was visible was a long lock of silver hair hanging out the side of her hood and a huge, smug smile dominating the lower half of her face.

Raven whirled around as the doors slammed open. His face immediately went ash-pale. "_Idiots! Stay away!_" he shouted, golden eyes alight with fear.

The cloaked woman's smile suddenly ratcheted wider. "The guest has finally arrived!" She cried jubilantly.

Grace felt the power in the room flare alarmingly, and as she watched, a huge figure materialized above and behind Raven. It looked like a woman with long silver hair, a blindfold covering her eyes, her lips colored blue. There was a metal collar around her neck, and a huge metal chain dangled from it. She must have been over fifteen feet tall. _She's a chain,_ Grace thought, horrified.

A sharp sound filled the air, and suddenly there were thin, shining strings wrapped around Raven. He struggled for a moment. "Damn it," he snapped. The strings pulled at his gun hand, and he clung to his revolver desperately for a moment before it slipped from his grasp and clattered to the floor.

"_Raven!_" Oz cried, automatically taking a step forward, but Alice's arm shot out to block his way.

"Don't, Oz!" she commanded urgently, her violet eyes never leaving the chain hovering behind the dark-haired man.

Raven fell to his knees, his head bowed, arms pulled upwards by the thin strings that were attached to the huge chain. The crimson-cloaked figure slipped casually off the railing and dropped to the first floor in front of Raven and the chain, landing crouched on the ground. "Let me introduce you," she crooned, straightening. "This is my chain, Doldam. It can bind people with strings and manipulate their bodies and hearts. Useful, huh?" She giggled and turned to look at Oz, Alice, and Grace. "Today, I came to celebrate with you," she explained, looking at Oz, "because I heard that you got out of the Abyss after ten years had passed."

Oz's eyes were wide and blank with disbelief. The woman with the crimson cloak giggled. "Well then, shall we have a special puppet show performance from Doldam? The leads will be this young man, Oz Bezarius..." Her smile widened, and she laughed and looked to where Raven knelt on the ground, glaring at her with gritted teeth. "…And this person," she continued exultantly, "_Gilbert Nightray!_"

Oz let out a short breath, emerald eyes wide as he stared at Raven. Raven looked away.

"Oh?" The cloaked figure murmured. "Could it be that you never realized it? That's right, he's your one and only trusted servant:" Her smile grew particularly nasty. "Gilbert!"

Oz gazed at Raven in stunned silence for a long moment. Grace stared, too. _Gilbert… Could it be the same Gil that Oz was talking about earlier? His best friend…? _"Raven is…" Oz whispered in disbelief, "… Gil… No way…"

"Surprising, isn't it?" the cloaked contractor observed smugly, strolling over to where Raven (_No, Gilbert,_ Grace corrected grimly,) knelt. She reached out and casually patted the dark-haired man on the head as she spoke. "Ten years had passed when you returned from the Abyss, after all," she told Oz. She laughed and grabbed a fistful of black hair, yanking Gilbert's face upwards. She turned her head to look at Oz. "The Abyss is a space that warps time," she giggled. "Even if you manage to successfully escape, there's no way you'd be able to return to your own time!" She laughed again, but when she spoke next, her voice was abruptly serious, in spite of the smile that remained on her face. "But, you don't need to worry about it." Her voice trilled higher and lighter again. "I will take you to a great place!"

Alice, Oz, and Grace stiffened. The red-cloaked contractor laughed and knelt beside Gilbert, whose eyes were in shadow. She grabbed his face and rubbed her cheek fondly against his forehead. "Right, that person asked me to, so I'll take you back to the Abyss!"

Oz paled, making a small choking sound. She rubbed her face against Gilbert's black hair. "Now, good boy, Gilbert," she crooned softly, "I need you to hit the Young Master as much as you can. Once I report to that person, it would be troublesome to oppose him…" Gilbert said nothing, his eyes hidden beneath his hair.

Suddenly the huge, silver-haired chain threw back her head and let loose a terrible, piercing roar. Grace, Oz, and Alice cried out in pain, clasping their hands over their ears. Gilbert seemed to go limp, hanging there amidst the silver strings, hunched forward. After a long moment, a strange smile spread across his face. He lifted his head to face them, eyes closed. Then, abruptly, they snapped open… And they were red; solid, glowing red.

The strings suddenly vanished from sight, and Gilbert slumped slightly on the floor. Then he reached out and picked up his revolver, climbing to his feet.

Alice was gritting her teeth. "This is bad, Oz," she said tensely, fists clenched, as Gilbert started towards them at a walk, a frightening smile on his face. His movements were sharp and unnatural; he lurched towards them like a broken marionette, shoulders twitching, head lolling backward and slumping forward, feet jerking themselves towards the three teenagers standing by the doors. "The one who can release my power is Raven," Alice went on rigidly, "if he's being controlled, I don't have full access to my power!"

Suddenly, Gilbert Nightray leapt forward with unexpected dexterity. Before Grace could react, he had landed in their midst; with one swift movement, he threw out his arm and struck Oz a glancing blow across the face; Oz let out a cry of pain as he went flying, landing with a sharp _thud_ on the floor several feet away. "Oz!" Alice barked. "Why, you-" she started forward, but suddenly something hit her hard from behind, pinning her to the ground. Whirling to look, Grace saw that it was one of the Pandora agents… But his eyes were completely white and glazed over. He had a bullet wound on the side of his head. _A corpse_, Grace realized, aghast.

"Don't interfere, B-Rabbit," the cloaked figure commanded breezily, sitting on the red carpeted stairs. "I feel bad for you, though, after finally getting a contractor!" Alice glared at her viciously, but she took no notice. "But it can't be helped, right? He's the key to obtaining the Will of the Abyss, after all!"

Alice's eyes narrowed. "The Will of the Abyss, you say?" She repeated flatly. The cloaked contractor just giggled in response. "And what do you mean by Oz being a key?" Alice demanded.

"He is a threat to us Baskervilles," the figure replied matter-of-factly, smiling. "We can't have him around in this world!" Alice's eyes widened. Another pained shout and thud punctuated the contractor's statement, and Alice's head turned to look. "Oz!"

Grace's head snapped around to look, just in time to see Oz dodge a leaping kick from Gilbert. He retreated steadily as Gilbert launched strike after strike, most of them missing their marks. Grace clutched her sais and sprinted towards them. "Oz-!" Something heavy hit her in the back, and she went down, hitting the floor hard enough to knock the breath out of her. It escaped her in a gust of air as the impact jerked the sais out of her grip; they skittered harmlessly across the floor. Twisting her head around, she saw that yet another Pandora agent's corpse had her pinned; this one had a bullet hole in his chest, right where his heart should be.

"Ah, ah, ah," the Baskerville scolded with relish, "I don't know who you are, girl, but I'm not going to let you butt in! Just sit back and watch the show!"

Grace gritted her teeth and looked back at Oz and Gilbert. _Damn it…! What am I going to do? I have to help him somehow…_ An image of Miikai flashed into her head, but she shrank away from the thought. _Break isn't here to keep her in line. What if she were to go on a rampage? Would I even be able to convince her to attack that Baskerville person instead of Gilbert? No- I can't- It's too risky…_

Oz continued to dodge Gilbert's blows, ducking and sidestepping, always backing up. As Grace looked on helplessly, Gilbert took a swipe at Oz with his gun hand; Oz ducked, but the dark-haired man was already moving, swinging his free hand around to deliver a crushing punch to the stomach. Oz yelped in pain and staggered backward, one hand over his stomach, only to find himself backing into a wall. He glanced over his shoulder in alarm. "Damn-" Gilbert's hand shot out and grasped Oz around the throat. He lifted Oz into the air and then swung him around to slam him into the floor, bending over him.

Gilbert let out a dark, insane-sounding chuckle as he held Oz to the floor with one hand. "I'll let you taste it, too… the pain I received!" he laughed.

Oz struggled, trying to pull the man's hand away from his throat. When this proved impossible, he reached up and tried to shove at Gilbert's chest. "Y-you..! Let go!" he choked out, pushing and scrabbling with both hands. "L-let go of me-!" One hand accidentally tore Gilbert's shirt aside, and Oz abruptly stopped struggling, emerald eyes widening in shock.

A dark, puckered scar lanced diagonally across the man's chest. Oz stared at it blankly as Gilbert smiled. "What's wrong? Nostalgic, isn't it…?" He began to laugh, a dark, malicious laugh that sent chills racing down Grace's spine as she looked on in horror. "This wound…"

Oz was dead silent, unmoving as stone as he stared unseeingly at the scar. Then, slowly, his hands fell back to his sides. "Yeah…" he breathed after a moment, his face crumpling into an expression at once very tired and very sad. "… I remember… You really are Gil…"

Gilbert straightened slightly and whipped his gun around to press the barrel against Oz's shoulder. Alice's eyes widened. "_Oz!_" She cried, struggling. Grace was doing the same; she thrashed violently beneath the Pandora agent's hands, but his grip was like steel, and her sais were out of her reach.

"Gilbert," the cloaked Baskerville called, "make sure you don't kill him, okay?"

Gilbert's eyes were wide and insane, the malevolent grin still on his face. Oz stared up at him tiredly. "You have a grudge against me…" he murmured. "You almost died because of me…" His green eyes were dull now, and full of sorrow. "I had believed in the 'forever' that you told me about," he said quietly. "But… If it will be a lie because of me, then before I see that moment come to pass…" He reached up with one hand and took hold of the barrel of Gilbert's black revolver… and moved it to hover over his face.

Alice drew in a sharp breath of terror, and the smug smile was suddenly wiped clean off the Baskerville's face. Grace's sea-green eyes widened in shock. _Wh-what is he-?_

To her utter astonishment, Oz smiled an exhausted smile. "It would be better for me to die right here," he finished calmly.

Gilbert's eyes widened, his smile fading. After a moment, a quiet gasp escaped his lips. But still he did not take the gun away, did not move.

Without a word, Oz reached up and placed his thumb over Gilbert's finger; the one that was on the trigger.

_"__**Oz!**__"_ Alice shouted.

"No _way_," the cloaked contractor exclaimed.

_"No! Don't!"_ Grace yelled.

A loud, strangled gasp of agony wrenched free from Gilbert's throat. Oz smiled.

_**BANG.**_


End file.
